Raised in the Shadows
by wantaco79
Summary: When Kira was very young her parents were murdered by the Dark Brotherhood. Now she and her adopted sister Rain are being raised by the Brotherhood. Eventual LucienxOC VicentexOC Some spoilers for DB quests. Chap. 27 and on: Random bonus chapters.
1. Chapter 1

Raised in the Shadows

Raised in the Shadows

Disclaimer: You have no idea how much we wished we were the creators of Oblivion. If we had made it then we would own Lucian Lachance and Vicente Valtieri. But we don't own it so….yeah…

A/N: Once again I am writing a story with my friend Gaaraxocfan. So half of the credit goes to her.

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_Deep within the Cheydinhal Dark Brotherhood sanctuary…_

There was a loud crash as the two girls ran down the hall, knocking over a small table along the way. They ran into Vicente Valtieri's quarters and began to run in circles around his table. Vicente groaned. He was trying to sort through several contracts and maps of different provinces and major cities.

"Lucian, would you mind stopping Kira from attacking Rain?" The vampire said irritably. The 13 year old Imperial glared at Vicente.

"Why can't you do it? I'm busy." He said.

"All you're doing is sitting there doing nothing! Now get Kira!" Vicente ordered. Lucian Lachance sighed and stood up. He watched the five year old Imperial girl chase Rain, a four year Wood Elf around the table. Finally he managed to pick up Kira.

"Luke, put me down!" The five year old struggled against Lucian's iron grip but finally gave up after a few moments. Rain hid fearfully behind Vicente's chair. Lucian put Kira down on the chair next to him. Vicente looked up from his papers and looked at Kira.

"Now, tell me why you were trying to attack your sister." The vampire said calmly.

"Kia hit me!" Rain said from behind the vampire's chair.

"Rain was messing with my stuff! Tell her to stay out of my room!" Kira complained. Vicente sighed. He had enough to worry about already.

"Kira stop picking on Rain. Rain, stop going into Kira's room if she says she doesn't want you in there. Now both of you go and find something to do. I've got a lot of work to do." Vicente ordered sternly.

"But Vissy," Rain whined, "I don't wanna go! Kira's just gonna start chasing me around again!" Vicente sighed.

"Vicente, I don't wanna go find something else to do! Can't I at least stay here with you?" Kira whined.

"Lucian, take Kira somewhere and tell Ocheeva I want her to keep an eye on Rain for a while."

"Where am I supposed to take Kira? And why do I have to do it?!" Lucian complained.

"Don't you have to pick up some special alchemy ingredients in the Market District of the Imperial City? Take Kira with you. And you have to take her with you because you're getting on my nerves." It was obvious to everyone in the room that Vicente was getting very angry.

Lucien picked up Kira and ran quickly out of the room, with Rain following behind him. They ran up the stairs to Ocheeva's room.

"Ocheeva, Vicente wants you to watch Rain for a while. I'm headed to the Imperial City to steal some alchemy ingredients. I'm taking Kira." Lucien said quickly before running up more stairs to the Dark Brotherhood Sanctuary's main room. He ran straight to the ladder leading to Cheydinhal, still carrying a complaining Kira.

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Vicente leaned back in his chair, enjoying the silence for a moment. He thought quietly about the night he had found Kira and Rain. That had definitely been on of his stranger contracts but he had actually experienced worse.

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_Flashback to one year ago…_

"_Ocheeva, do you think you can pick the lock on the back door?" Vicente asked. It was a cold, clear night in Bruma. The town, as usual, was covered in snow. A soft wind blew threw the town._

"_I think so. It doesn't look too hard. But are you sure we can take down Alexial Azrael? He supposed to be a master with just about any weapon. Are you sure we're prepared?" Ocheeva said worriedly._

"_Yes I'm sure we can take Azrael. He should be asleep. We just have to sneak into his bedroom and kill him and his wife. Then we go on our merry way back to Cheydinhal." Vicente said confidently. Ocheeva nodded and began to pick the lock. A minute later they were inside. _

_The house was simple enough. There were three bedrooms. Two of them were on the main level but Alexial and Asana Azrael's bedroom was upstairs. The two assassins slowly made their way upstairs, never making a sound._

_Vicente walked into the master bedroom while Ocheeva waited by the door in case one of them tried to make an escape. Vicente pulled out a dagger and quickly slit the throat of Alexial's throat. The man grunted quietly before dying. But it woke up his wife, Asana. She gasped and stared in horror at the vampire standing next to her husband's body._

"_What have you done?!" She asked. She didn't dare scream, not wanting to scare her two children downstairs._

"_I am a son of Sithis." Vicente said simply before killing Asana before she could say anything else. _

"_It's over, now let's get out of here." Ocheeva said, turning to walk back to the stairs._

"_Wait, I hear a heartbeat. Someone is walking up the stairs. Ocheeva, hide. I will take care of this and you can cover me if needed." Ocheeva quickly used an invisibility spell._

_Vicente waited in the middle of the bedroom to see who was coming upstairs. He was very surprised when a young girl, no more than four years old walked sleepily into the room. Vicente was even more surprised when he got a clear look at her face. She looked just like his daughter had, 300 years ago._

_Before he was turned into a vampire, Vicente had had a wife and a young daughter. But one night their home was attacked by a horrible vampire. He had killed Vicente's wife and daughter and left him to turn into a vampire himself. For 100 years or so he wandered aimlessly, filled with grief. But then the Brotherhood had found him._

_They had helped him get over the grief and cope with his "condition." By now he had almost completely let go of that horrible night but it all came back to him when he saw this girl's face. Vicente fell to his knees as he felt the familiar grief crush him._

_The girl rubbed her eyes a few times before finally seeing clearly through the darkness. She definitely looked almost as surprised as Vicente. _

"_Who're you? What have you done to my mommy and daddy?!" The girl asked loudly. Vicente shook his head, finally coming back to his senses._

"_I'm sorry, but your parents are dead." He said simply. Several emotions passed through the girl's eyes but none of them were the emotions Vicente expected to see. _

_He expected to see terror and overwhelming sadness pass through her eyes but instead he saw shock, which was normal, but there was also a strange acceptance. It was as if the girl barely cared what happened to her parents. There was barely even rage or hatred for Vicente. The girl actually even looked a little curious about Vicente. She was no normal girl._

_But then he heard someone else coming up the stairs. Concern instantly filled the girl's eyes._

"_Rain, stay downstairs!" The girl yelled. Vicente could still hear whoever Rain was walking up the stairs._

"_But Kira, I thought I heard some scary noises. I'm scared and I want mommy." Rain said. She made it to the top of the stairs. Vicente was very surprised to see she was a Wood Elf instead of an Imperial like the rest of the Azraels. But the Vicente figured she must be adopted._

_The other girl, Kira, looked worriedly at Vicente with a silent question in her eyes. She didn't want her younger sister to see their parent's dead bodies. Vicente knew what to do. _

"_Ocheeva, get the Wood Elf girl." Vicente said. The spell on Ocheeva broke as she ran forward quickly, not really knowing what else to do but listen to the vampire. Ocheeva used a spell to knock out Rain before she could enter the bedroom. Vicente turned his attention back to the Imperial girl Kira._

"_What are you going to do now?" She asked. Now she looked afraid. Vicente smiled at the girl._

"_Don't worry; I'm not going to hurt you or your sister. What happens now is up to you." He said. The girl looked confused._

"_What do ya mean?"_

"_I'm giving you a choice. You can come with me and my friend, Ocheeva here, back to Cheydinhal. We're part of a large family there, you could stay with us. Or you could stay here and do whatever you feel you should do." Vicente said, trying to explain as simply as he could._

"_I won't go anywhere without Rain." Kira said simply._

"_She can come too. Our family can protect both of you." The girl seemed to try and think about it for a moment. It had to be a lot to take in. Finally she nodded. Vicente could tell she was a lot like her father. She always knew what would lead to the best outcome._

"_I'll come with you but you have to look after my sister." Vicente stood up and walked over to the girl. Before she knew what was happening he knocked her out and picked her up._

"_Ocheeva, would you mind carrying the Wood Elf girl?" Vicente said calmly._

"_What are you doing? We can't bring these girls back to the sanctuary! Why are you doing this?" Ocheeva asked._

"_Honestly, I'm not sure. But she's just…so much like my daughter had been. I can't just leave her here. Besides, they're young. They can't cause that much trouble." The vampire said. Ocheeva sighed but picked up Rain and followed Vicente out of the house…._

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Vicente shook his head at the memory. At first, he remembered, he had been shocked by Kira's reaction to the death of her parents. She really didn't have much of a reaction but then when they were almost halfway back to Cheydinhal she had cried but only when Rain was asleep. She was trying to be strong for her little sister. Kira was very aware of the world for someone so young but Vicente guessed that had something to do with her strict father.

And now, one year later, Vicente Valtieri sat in his quarters. Kira had become something like a daughter to him. He wasn't completely sure what he thought of Rain but he liked her well enough. He was sure Kira would grow up to become a fine assassin, just like Lucien would one day be too. He was sure both of them would one day be a part of the Black Hand itself one day.

But Rain didn't seem to have that killer instinct. She did seem good at getting into places where she wasn't supposed too. Maybe she'd become a member of the Thieves' Guild one day.

Vicente shook his head as his thoughts drifted to the young Lucien Lachance. Lucien was a very ambitious and cold young man. At only age 13 Lucien already seemed prepared to accept contracts and kill people but Christine wouldn't let him until he was least 15.

Christine was the Speaker for the Black Hand. She kept everything under control in all of the sanctuaries all over Cyrodiil. She was good at her job. She was a kind lady but everyone in the Brotherhood knew not to cross her. Making her mad would definitely end badly for that person. She was a typical Redguard; a good leader and fighter but with a bad temper.

Vicente shook his head again before returning to sorting through all of the contracts on the table in front of him. He still had a lot of work to do and the silence could only last so long…

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"Lucien, wait up!" Kira yelled. She was following Lucien to the gates leading out of Cheydinhal to the Imperial City. She had to run to keep up with him. Lucien rolled his eyes but slowed down.

"Here." He said, picking her up and lifting her onto his shoulders. He continued walking quietly through the night. He barely made any sound at all and he blended in perfectly with the darkness. The fact that it was raining helped to give them cover.

Both Lucien and Kira pulled up their hoods to cover their faces as they walked past the guards at the gate. Once they were outside the gates they found Shadowmere, Lucien's horse. Kira held on tight to Lucien's belt as they rode quickly to the Imperial City.

The journey took around three or four hours on Shadowmere and when they got to the city it was still the middle of the night. They stopped not too far away from the gates to the Market District.

"Alright Kira, I want you to stay here and watch Shadowmere while I go get those alchemy supplies." Lucien said.

"I don't wanna stay and watch the horse. I wanna come with you!" Kira complained.

"No, it's too dangerous. I might get caught by the guards. You don't wanna end up in jail do you?"

"C'mon Lucian, let me come along. I won't get in the way." Kira said, begging with her ice blue eyes. Lucien chuckled a bit and ruffled her already messy brown hair.

"No, wait until you're older and more experienced. I'm in charge when it's just us out here. Now stay _here._" Lucian ordered. Before Kira could protest more he ran off to the gates.

"Jerk." She said quietly. Kira waited for a few moments before deciding it would be safe to follow Lucien now. She jumped off of Shadowmere and began to run to the gates…

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Ooh, what kind of trouble will Kira and Lucien get into?

And how will Rain's day…er night go with Ocheeva?

Reviews are always lovely and make us update sooner!


	2. Chapter 2

Raised in the Shadows

Raised in the Shadows

Disclaimer: You know already. We don't own it.

Oh and thanks a lot for the reviews. They keep us from kidnapping Vicente and Lucien and making them impossible for the rest of you to find.

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Ocheeva sat in her quarters, reading a book as usual. Just a moment a go Lucien Lachance had ran by her room saying she was supposed to look after Rain. Ocheeva was well aware of the young Wood Elf standing silently by her door but she wanted to finish the page she was reading first. Finally she slowly turned the page and looked up at the young girl.

"Greetings young one." Ocheeva said.

"Hi, 'Eeva. Whatcha doin'?" Rain couldn't quite pronounce Ocheeva's name so she simply called her Eeva. Alright, well really she couldn't pronounce anyone's name. She had nicknames for almost everyone in the sanctuary.

Teinaava walked into the room before Ocheeva could say anything else to Rain.

"Ah Teinaava, it fills my heart with warmth to see you alive, Brother. I trust your contract has been fulfilled." Ocheeva said.

"Hi Teeva." Rain said. Teinaava gave her a grin, showing all of his pointy teeth.

"Of course, dear Sister. Orgnolf now lies rotting in the middle of the forest. Did you expect any less?"

"Of course not, brother. We can always rely on you." Ocheeva said.

"Teeva, pick me uuuuuupppp!" Rain whined, lifting her arms up. Teinaava sighed and picked her up.

"Rain, my name is Teinaava. Say it with me: Ty-na-va." He said slowly.

"Teeva!" Rain said excitedly.

"Ty…"

"Ty…"

"Na…"

"Na…"

"Va…"

"Va…"

"Teinaava." Teinaava finished.

"Teeva!" Rain shouted. Ocheeva laughed and shook her head.

"You might as well give it up, brother. She won't get it right." She said. Teinaava sighed.

"I suppose you're right, sister. But I'm not giving up anytime soon. Does Vicente have any other contracts for me?"

"Vissy is maaaaddd. No talk to Vissy!" Rain shouted. Teinaava looked at Ocheeva, confused.

"Apparently Vicente was yelling at Rain, Kira and Lucien about something. I take it he's very annoyed over something." She explained.

"Ah, I see. Well, I should rest. See in the morning, sister. Rain, stay out of trouble." Teinaava put Rain back down and walked out of the room. After a few seconds Rain followed after him.

She followed him into the lower level of the sanctuary where everyone's rooms were located. He walked into his room and Rain snuck in silently behind him. It was easy to sneak when you were so little.

Teinaava was so tired he didn't notice Rain and only bothered to remove his hood before falling face first into bed. After rolling onto his back he was fast asleep. Rain climbed up onto his bed and sat on Teinaava's chest.

She watched him sleep for a few minutes but she quickly grew bored. She slowly reached out and poked his forehead. Teinaava grunted but did not wake up. Rain reached out again and opened one of Teinaava's eyes.

"Tttteeeeeeeevvvvvaaaaa, wake uuuuuuuppppppp!" She said. Teinaava groaned and opened his other eye.

"Do you need something, young one?"

"Teeva get up! Up! Up!" She said, bouncing up and down lightly.

"Not now, Rain. Why don't you go look for Christine or Jet? I'm sure they'd love to spend some time with you, young one. I need some rest." Teinaava said.

"But Teeva, I wanna play with you! Get uuuuuupppp!" Rain continued to whine.

"Not now. Go see Jet. He should be in the training room practicing magic or something." Teinaava closed his eyes again. Rain groaned and left the room. She went back upstairs and entered the training room.

Jet was the youngest person in the sanctuary who was actually old enough to receive contracts. He was only three years older Lucien.

Rain found Jet speaking to Azaka, another Argonian. Jet was considered odd by most other Imperials. He loved to spend time around other races like Argonians and Orcs. He hated most other Imperials.

"I agree, brother. It would be better to use magic in that situation but I'd still try to kill them with a battle axe. Or better yet; I would poison them before the situation could reach that level." Azaka was saying.

"I just don't understand it. How could you use something as large and heavy as an axe and still sneak around your targets. Wouldn't you get caught easier?" Jet asked.

"That is the test of your abilities. If you can still walk silently and hide in the shadows effectively with an axe then you are truly a master of stealth."

"You've gotta be the strangest Argonian I've ever meant Azaka. You're the only Argonian I know that uses an axe." Jet laughed an pushed his messy blonde hair out of his eyes.

"Can you blame me for wanting to be a little different?" Azaka said.

"Hiya Dwet." Rain said, pulling on his pant leg. Jet looked down and grinned at her.

"Hey Rain, what's up?"

"Whatcha doin'?"

"Nothin', Rain. Do you need something?" Jet reached down and picked her up.

"Well I need to get going, brother. There's a contract I should take care of." Azaka patted Rain on the head and left.

"I wanna go play with the kitty man!" Rain said excitedly. Jet laughed and shook his head.

"You mean M'raaj-Dar?"

"The kitty man!"

"Alright, alright. Let's go find M'raaj-Dar." Jet and Rain left to find M'raaj-Dar.

They found him eating in the main room of the living quarters with his back to them. There was a loud crunching noise every time he took a bite. Rain squirmed out of Jet's arms.

"Sssshhh." She snuck up behind M'raaj-Dar and took something from his pocket. She then put whatever she took in her own pocket. Jet raised one eyebrow at her but said nothing. Rain then snuck out of the room leaving Jet with the Kahjiit.

"Hey M'raaj-Dar, there was something I wanted to ask you about this contract I've got. I'm not exactly sure what spells would be best for it. Think you could give me some advice?"

"Of course, who do you have to kill, brother?" M'raaj-Dar asked. Jet still wondered what it was Rain had stolen but it was probably best if he kept M'raaj-Dar distracted…

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Kira followed quietly behind Lucien. She was short enough that she could hide easily behind bushes. She followed him to a hidden crack in the walls outside of the Market District. Lucien just barely fit through it but it was the perfect size for Kira to fit through.

She was very careful not to make a single sound, she was afraid just to breathe too loudly. Lucien was already listening for any signs of the guards; if she made any noise at all he'd catch her.

Lucien made his way to some alchemy store near a large statue of a warrior. He took a lock pick from a pocket and slowly began to pick the lock. It was obvious that lock picking was not one of his many talents but finally after a few minutes there was a small click and the door opened with a small creak. Lucien looked around quickly before walking in. Kira came out from behind the crate she was hiding behind and followed inside.

Lucien relaxed once inside. He figured it would be easy to find what ingredients they needed and get out. Even if he woke up the shop keeper he could take them on. He continued walking silently to the counter. He fumbled with picking the lock again but after a few more minutes and several swear words from Lucien it clicked open.

Kira was hiding behind some boxes near the front door. She was afraid to even move to quickly to peek over the boxes. When she looked over the boxes one more time Lucien had his back to her. He was shifting bottles of potions and ingredients around looking for something. Kira decided to move a little closer where she could hide by the stairs.

She began moving slowly to the stairs, being careful to stay in the shadows. But then when she was almost halfway there the floor board made a loud creaking noise. Kira froze and looked up at Lucien. He had already spun around and was holding out a dagger. He spotted her instantly and glared angrily at her.

"Kira, I told you to stay with Shadowmere." He whispered angrily.

"But Luke…." She began to whine.

"Shh, don't say anything. Stay quiet and go keep a look out for the guards. I'll deal with you later." Kira nodded and walked guiltily over to the door. Lucien had taught her a long time ago what guards looked like and that she shouldn't trust them. The guards in the Imperial City were very cruel and wouldn't hesitate to kill Kira and Lucien without a second thought.

Lucien shook his head and returned to looking for everything they needed. He grabbed some nightshade, Bergamot seeds, and Mandrake Root. He sat back and sighed a bit too loudly.

"Damn, they don't have any flax seeds." Lucien said aloud, forgetting to be quiet. He heard a shuffling noise from upstairs and then a door opened. Lucien stood up quickly and started to run for the door.

"Help guards! There's a thief in my shop!" The owner of the store yelled. Lucien picked up Kira and sprinted out of the shop, cursing loudly. They could hear three or four guards running behind them.

"Stop, you violated the law!" One of the guards yelled. Lucien rolled his eyes. Guards were so stupid sometimes. Like they would really just stop and give up.

Lucien turned sharply suddenly and then hid behind some bushes and boxes. The guards all ran past them loudly. Lucien sighed and let go of Kira once he was sure they were far away.

"Here take these," he said, handing her the alchemy ingredients he had stolen. "Go back to Shadowmere and wait for me with her. I'll catch up in a couple minutes."

"But Lucien…" Kira began to protest.

"Not now, Kira. Now go; I'll take care of the guards. And whatever you do; don't look back." With that Lucien stood up and chased after the guards, a silver long sword in one hand and a dagger in the other.

For once Kira did what she was told and started running quietly back to the large crack in the walls. She squeezed through and then sprinted loudly back to where they left Shadowmere. Kira was afraid to be in the forest alone now. She could hear the sounds of so many creatures throughout the trees. Sometimes it was hard to tell if she was being followed or if it was just the wind blowing through the trees.

She found Shadowmere right where she'd left the horse. Shadowmere was standing silently next to a large tree, waiting faithfully for Lucien. Kira sighed and sat down next to Shadowmere…

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Lucien found one of the guards searching through an alley. He walked up silently behind the guard and slit his throat. The guard grunted and then fell down with a light thud. Lucien smirked before looking for the other three guards.

The other three guards were all talking in the middle of the street, thinking about what was the best plan of action. Lucien decided to forget being sneaky and charged at them. He managed to cut one down from behind before they realized what had happened. The other too pulled out their swords and attacked Lucien.

"Give it up, criminal scum! You can't win!" One of them warned. Lucien laughed in his face.

"Yeah right, I'm not an idiot. There's no way I'm letting you idiots win."

"Then pay with your blood!" The other guard shouted. The guard lunged forward, aiming for Lucien's chest. Lucien side stepped quickly but was quickly attacked by the other guard who cut Lucien's left leg. He grunted in pain but continued fighting.

Lucien slashed at the guard on his right and cut his right side where there was an opening in his armor. The guard cried out in pain before falling to the ground. This distracted the other guard so Lucien kicked him square in the chest and turned to run.

He sheathed his weapons and sprinted to the crack in the city walls. His leg hurt badly but there was nothing he could do about it now. He squeezed through the crack and found his way back to Shadowmere.

"Let's go, Kira. They might follow us." Lucien limped over to Shadowmere and lifted Kira up onto the saddle. He reached into one of the packs on Shadowmere's saddle and pulled out some bandages. He quickly bandaged up the cut on his leg before getting on Shadowmere.

"And don't think you're gonna get away with following me. You're still in a lot of trouble, Kira." Lucien said.

"But Luke…"

"Not now. I'm tired, Kira. I'll just let Vicente deal with you when we get back."

"No, don't tell Vicente! He'll get real mad!" Kira begged.

"We'll talk about this later." They started to ride back to Cheydinhal.

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A few hours later they made it back to the sanctuary just as the sun was coming up. Lucien yawned loudly as they walked downstairs to Vicente's room. On the way they passed M'raaj-Dar who seemed to be looking for something.

"Have either of you seen the key to the trunk in my room? I can't find it." He asked.

"Sorry M'raaj-Dar, we just got back from the Imperial City. Have you asked Vicente?" Lucien asked. M'raaj-Dar nodded and followed them down to Vicente's room.

"Vicente, have you seen my…." The sight in the room was very odd indeed. Rain was hiding in the corner of Vicente's room between the wall and a book case holding something. Vicente was trying to reach her but the stone slab he called a bed was in the way.

"Oh, M'raaj-Dar, I seemed to have found your key." Vicente said, while still reaching for Rain.

"That little twerp took my key!" M'raaj-Dar said angrily. Lucien had to bite his tongue to keep from laughing. Kira giggled a bit.

"Now, now M'raaj-Dar, I'm sure she was just playing. She didn't mean anything by it." Vicente said, trying to keep M'raaj-Dar from really losing his temper.

"Get over here now!" The khajiit yelled at Rain. She squealed and tried to move farther against the wall. M'raaj-Dar used a telekinesis spell to lift Rain into the air and moved her closer to him.

"Give me the key _now._" He said. Rain whimpered and handed it to him. He set her down on the ground and left. Lucien began laughing as soon as M'raaj-Dar was far away.

"I'm sorry but that's pretty funny." He said between laughs. Vicente sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"Kitty man is mean!" Rain yelled.

"I'm getting too old for this." Vicente said under his breath. He desperately wanted to change the subject.

"Lucien, I trust you got the ingredients we needed." Vicente said.

"Uh, yeah. Here, Kira's got them." Lucien nudged Kira forward and she handed the alchemy ingredients to the vampire.

"And there were no complications?" Vicente asked, giving Lucien a stern look.

"I'll tell you about it later tonight. I'm going to bed. C'mon you little twerps. Time for bed." Lucien pointed at the door, hoping Kira and Rain would make this easy.

"But Louie, I'm not tired!" Rain whined. Lucien cringed at her nickname for him.

"Yeah Luke, we're not tired!" Kira said, jumping up and down.

"Well too freakin' bad! You're going to bed!" Lucien yelled, finally losing it. Kira and Rain got up instantly and ran to their rooms. Lucien left, stomping loudly. This left Vicente all alone in his room.

"Damn moody teenagers. Damn puberty." Vicente said before going to bed.

Rain ran straight into her room but Kira waited by her door.

"Go to bed Kira." Lucien said.

"But Luke, I'm not tired." She said. Lucien sighed, feeling defeated, picked her up and walked into her room. He sat down on her bed with Kira still in his arms. Lucien began to hum an old lullaby that his used to sing to him when he was Kira's age. It was one of the few things he knew would put Kira to sleep.

And it worked. Kira was asleep a few minutes later. Now Lucien had a problem. He couldn't get up without waking Kira up. He mentally kicked himself and then decided he would have to sleep there tonight. He fell asleep a little while later and began to snore rather loudly….

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Yes, the chapter is over!

We've been working on this for like 4 days.

Sorry if Vicente's not completely in character but he'll be more and more in character as the girls get older.

…..I can't stop laughing at Lucien snoring….

Anyway, reviews are wonderful things…


	3. Chapter 3

Raised in the Shadows

Raised in the Shadows

Disclaimer: We don't own Oblivion.

A/N: Again thanks for all the reviews!

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_3 years later…_

Lucien walked confidently into the sanctuary. His shrouded armor was covered in blood stains and his long dark hair was even messier than usual. Despite the stains on his clothes and his hair, Lucien seemed to be in a great mood. He was even whistling that old lullaby his mother used to sing to him and that he used to put Kira to sleep.

He walked quickly down to the room next to Vicente's quarters: Christine's quarters. Christine was a speaker for the Black Hand and was in charge of the Cheydinhal Sanctuary. This was one of the few times she was actually at the sanctuary and she had given Lucien a special contract.

"Hey Christine, I'm back." Lucien said, walking into the Redguard's quarters.

"Louie's back! Hurray!!" Rain started to jump up and down. Apparently she had been in Christine's quarters too.

"Hello Lucien. I trust your contract was a success?" Christine asked, glancing up from some game she was playing with Rain.

"Yeah, I took care of it. I always do." Lucien said. Christine smiled.

"Well your payment and bonus is on the table there. Now go get some rest and go clean yourself off. You smell bad and you look disgusting." Christine laughed. Lucien looked around fearfully.

"Vicente's not here is he? I don't want him to smell all this blood and attack me." There was a loud growling noise suddenly and next thing Lucien knew Vicente was crouching on the table right in front of him with his fangs bared. Lucien gasped and froze for a moment but then he relaxed.

"Y'know you'd be a lot more frightening if you didn't have an eight year old sitting on your shoulder." He said, looking at Kira.

"Hi Luke." Kira said. Vicente stepped off of the table and stood up.

"Vicente and Kira are back!!" Rain yelled happily before practically tackling Vicente and climbing up the back of his shirt to his other shoulder. He barely even noticed the extra weight.

"I was wondering when you would get back Vicente. How did everything go in Anvil?" Christine asked.

"As well as expected. There were a few complications but nothing I couldn't handle. Kira made an excellent distraction for the guards though." Vicente said calmly.

"I told you they would think you were her father. As long as you keep your face mostly in shadow, anyone will think you two are related." Christine said.

"Why aren't you attacking me or at least looking bothered by the blood?" Lucien asked. Vicente crinkled his nose in disgust.

"You're covered in Argonian blood. I detest the taste of Argonian blood." Vicente replied as if this was the most normal conversation in the world.

"Well this is all very fascinating but now that you're back here Vicente, I don't need to be here for much longer. Lucien I wanna talk to you. Now the rest of you get out of here." Vicente left with Kira and Rain still sitting on his shoulders.

"What do you wanna talk to me about?" Lucien asked. Christine stood up and walked over to Lucien.

"Have you been feeling alright, Luke?" She asked.

"Yeah, I feel fine."

"Are you sure? You don't feel like there's something missing in your life? You're not having any nightmares after completing contracts?"

"What are you talking about? I'm fine. I don't have nightmares and my life is _fine. _There's nothing missing. Is there some point to all these questions?" Lucien said, raising one eyebrow.

"My point is; you're 16 years old Lucien. You should want to have some sort of social life. You should at least be affected a little bit from killing people but you're not. I'm just making sure it's not an act." Christine looked worried.

"I am _fine."_

"Are you sure? I promised your mother before she died that I'd look after you Lucien." Lucien sighed.

"I'm not a little kid anymore Christine. I can take care of myself. I'm fine."

"I know but I still…."

"Christine, please stop." Lucien begged.

"Alright, but remember: you're still a kid. Make sure you have fun occasionally, alright?" Lucien rolled his eyes and nodded.

"Good, now get outta here. You smell bad, you look tired and I'm tired of looking at you!" Christine motioned for Lucien to leave. He laughed and walked quickly out of the room.

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_The bedroom was dimly lit by a few candles. It was a rather small room but it was comfortable. The only thing that mattered was that she was comfortable._

_Karin Lachance lay in the bed, resting. Over the last two days her fever had gotten worse and none of the doctor's healing spells had been working. Next to her bed sat her young son, no more than six years old._

_Lucien was a small, quiet boy. He liked to keep to himself mostly and spent most of his time playing in the woods just outside of Cheydinhal. He was a smart boy too. He always tried to aware of the world around him in case some of the bigger kids tried to come after him._

"_Luke, hand me my water glass please." His mother said weakly. Lucien quickly reached for the water and helped her drink it. He was trying to be strong for his mother's sake but there was only so much he could do. But there was no way he was going to let her die. He needed her. The bedroom door opened and Christine walked in._

"_Hello Karin, are you feeling any better today?" The Redguard asked with concern._

"_I'm afraid not. Uh, Lucien, could you go downstairs for a moment. I need to speak to Christine alone." Karin said. Lucien tried to protest but his mother insisted and he left the room. Christine sat down in the now empty chair._

"_Christine, I need you to look after him. I'm not going to last much longer. I want him to be safe. Take him to live at your sanctuary if you must. Let him join your brotherhood if that's what he wants later on. Just promise me you'll take care of him." Karin said before coughing a bit._

"_Of course I'll take care of him as if he were my own son. But don't talk like this Karin, you're going to get better." Christine said. Karin shook her head and smiled weakly._

"_No I'm not. I know it, you know it, even little Luke knows it. I'm…done." Karin closed her eyes slowly. Christine stood up and felt for a pulse but could find none. Karin was gone._

"_Mom! Mom, wake up!" Lucien had entered the room and ran to his mother. Christine held him back._

"_Shh, Luke, it's too late. Shh, it's gonna be alright. Don't worry, I'll take care of you." Christine said, trying to calm him._

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"Mom!" Lucien sat up in bed quickly. It had just been a dream. _Not a dream, you idiot, a bad memory. Let it go. She's gone. _He thought bitterly. His mother had been dead for ten years now but he still had that nightmare occasionally.

He glanced at the old wooden clock across the room. It was only 3'o clock. Whether or not it was day or night was unknown though. He sighed and ran his hand through his messy hair.

He wasn't tired anymore but he really didn't want to get out of bed unless he knew Christine was gone. She would know something was wrong with him straight away. Suddenly the door to his room opened.

"Do you need something Kira? I'm trying to sleep." Lucien said lazily.

"I heard you yell somethin'. Are you okay?" The young girl asked, tilting her head to the side.

"Yes, I'm fine. It was nothing really," Lucien said. "Hey, has Christine left yet?"

"Yeah, she left a couple of hours ago."

"Ok, thanks. Now, get outta here kid, I'm tired." Lucien ordered. It was true he was tired. But he doubted he would be able to fall asleep again. Kira gave him a questioning look but left. Lucien sighed and lay back on the bed.

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_A few hours later…_

Lucien stared angrily at an apple. He looked as if he was blaming for all the trouble in the world. Jet and Azaka were playing cards on the other side of the room and M'raaj-Dar was reading a book. Finally M'raaj-Dar looked up at Lucien.

"For the sake of Sithis, brother. Is something wrong?" He asked.

"Yeah, Lachance, what's up with you? Did that apple insult you in some way? Maybe it called you fat or made fun or your hair?" Jet said sarcastically. Lucien threw the apple at Jet.

"Shut up, Jet. I'm thinking." Lucien said darkly before turning to read a note on the table. It was a grocery list.

_Buy fruit, beer, arrows, bear pelts mutton and more beer…make that A LOT of beer. _

"Hey guys, who's turn is it to buy groceries?" Lucien finally asked.

"It's your turn. Vicente said you should take Rain with you. She can steal some of the stuff so we save money. Have fun, Lachance." Jet said. Lucien sighed and stood up.

"Hey, Rain! You're going shopping with me. Let's go, shrimp!" Lucien yelled. Rain came running excitedly through the door leading everyone's bedrooms.

"Yay, let's go!" She yelled, jumping up into Lucien's arms. Lucien lifted her up onto his shoulder and walked out of what served as the sanctuary's living quarters to the main room. He climbed the ladder outside and started walking to the general store.

"Ok, Rain, you know what you've gotta do right, kiddo? Today you should grab some fruit and as many arrows as you can without someone noticing alright. I'll distract the store clerk with something stupid and you sneak into the back okay?" Lucien said.

"Uh-huh, I know what to do Louie!" Rain replied happily.

"But be careful, okay?"

"I know. I won't get caught."

"Good, I don't know what we'd do if you got caught." Lucien said before setting Rain down and walking into the store with her hidden behind him stealthily. Once they were inside Lucien walked up to the counter and began to ask the clerk several questions. The clerk began to lead him around the store trying to answer his many questions. Rain slipped behind the counter and into the back room.

She pulled out a sack and began to fill it with fruits, arrows and a few other items that she thought looked pretty. She listened carefully for Lucien's signal that it was safe. She heard him cough loudly a couple times and slipped out of the back room. Lucien signaled at Rain to hide behind some boxes before paying for what he actually bought and then leaving with Rain hidden near him.

They returned to the sanctuary a few minutes later. The walked into the living area and dumped all the groceries on a table. Jet and Azaka got up to loot through everything.

"Why'd you grab red lace, a book about princesses, and a book about cute furry animals, Lachance?" Jet asked.

"What? I didn't grab all that. Rain did it." Lucien said.

"The lace was pretty! And I like cute furry animals! But Luke was the one who wanted the princess book." Rain pointed at Lucien. Jet and Azaka burst out laughing.

"Oh how lovely! I've been looking for this book! Can I borrow it when you're done, Lachance?" Jet teased.

"I bet he picked out the red lace too." Azaka laughed. Lucien punched Jet and kicked Azaka. They both fell over and Lucien turned to Rain.

"You're in so much trouble." He said. Rain screamed and started to run away with Lucien following behind after kicking Jet one time. Lucien followed a screaming Rain into the lower hallways where Vicente and Ocheeva had their bedrooms.

"What is going on? Lucien, stop now!" Vicente said as he walked out of his room. He had to rush to grab Lucien and restrain him from reaching Rain. Kira walked out of Vicente's room too. Rain hid behind her sister.

"Lucien, stop it." Vicente ordered and finally Lucien gave up.

"Now calmly tell me what happened." Vicente said.

"Luke attacked me!" Rain yelled.

"The little twerp said I bought and princess book and Jet and Azaka started being jerks. You might wanna be careful if you go into the living area 'cause you might trip over them." Lucien actually sounded like he was whining a bit. Vicente shook his head.

"I am going to go back into my room and work on some contracts. When I come out, you all will be gone and we will forget this ever happened. Rain, apologize to Lucien. Lucien, leave Rain alone. Kira, keep them separated." Vicente turned on his heel and walked back into his room.

Kira grabbed Lucien's hand and led him away from Rain. Once Rain was sure they were far enough away she walked carefully back to her room. She was sure to look around every corner just in case Kira decided to be mean and send Lucien after her. Kira would do something like that just for laughs.

Kira led Lucien to the training room and watched him attack a practice dummy for a few hours. Finally she left the room and went to bed. Lucien went looking for Rain and began to chase after her again all around the sanctuary.

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Woot! We finished the chapter.

Sorry we haven't updated but school, awesome video games and The Phantom of the Opera got in the way.

We'll start updating faster soon.

We know these chapters are kind of pointless but there will be more plot as the girls get older and for now you'll just get a better idea of everyone's personality.


	4. Chapter 4

Raised in the Shadows

Disclaimer:...Don't sue us. We don't own it.

A/N: Here's where we actually have a plot for the rest of the story!

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_4 years later…_

"Are we there yet?" Kira and Rain asked together. Lucien groaned and was tempted to hit Kira who was sitting in front of him on Shadowmere. Christine laughed and patted Rain's head.

"No, we're not there yet. We will be soon." The Redguard said.

"But I really wanna try that new fruit in the market! I heard it's _really _good." Rain said.

"We're on a mission to break Azaka out of Imperial Prison and all you can think about is fruit?" Lucien said darkly. A year ago he had become Christine's Silencer. He had a darker out look on life now and he had a bad temper.

"But the fruit's supposed to be really good." Rain said again.

"I thought it tasted nasty." Kira said. Rain gasped loudly.

"When did you get to eat it?! Why didn't you save some for me?" The 11 year old whined.

"I'm not telling you." Kira said. Lucien groaned loudly and looked at Christine.

"Why did we have to bring these twerps with us?" He asked.

"They need to start getting around and see the world. Plus Kira's a pretty good fighter so she'll come in handy if we need to fight our way out and Rain's good at lock picking and stealing keys from guards." Christine explained calmly. It was obvious she was enjoying this much more than her Silencer.

"Oh, I see it!" Rain shouted suddenly. Everyone looked up to see the walls of the Imperial City peeking out over the trees.

"Shh, quiet Rain. At this time of night this area's crawling with guards." Christine said.

"Come on. We'd better make the rest of the trip on foot." Lucien said as he helped Kira off Shadowmere. Christine helped Rain off of her horse, Moonscar. They started to walk silently through the forest.

"Hey, did you guys hear that Adamus Phillida is guarding Azaka personally?" Kira asked in a whisper.

"Where'd you hear that?" Christine asked.

"All of the guards in Cheydinhal and Leyawiin were talking about it." Lucien said. He and Kira had been in Leyawiin just a few days ago.

"Great, this is going to be harder than I thought." Christine said.

"Well, at least we won't have to be worried about Azaka being tortured. Phillida may be obsessed with taking our brotherhood down but he's stupid. Phillida will only hurt Azaka if he can't keep is mouth shut and starts shouting insults. Luckily for us, Azaka is not Jet." Lucien said.

"I wouldn't be so sure, Lucien. Phillida has done many horrible things before." She said darkly.

"Hey, we're here." Rain said. They had reached the where there was a crack in the city walls. It was now covered by plants and well hidden from guards. They all snuck through and slowly made there way to a small hole leading down into sewers. From there they could sneak into the prison.

Eventually they came to a spot where the tunnels went two separate ways. One led to the left and would lead to a cell in the prison. The other one on the right would lead to a trapdoor near the guards' quarters. Lucien and Kira went to the left while Christine and Rain took the right path. They would meet up near Azaka's cell and hopefully take out all of the guards.

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Azaka sighed loudly. He was bored. He had been in jail several times before this but he had honestly never been this bored. He usually found some way to entertain himself but it was hard with Adamus Phillida staring you down.

"Give it up, Phillida. I'm not going to tell you anything. I won't betray my family like that." Azaka said finally.

"You're _family?_ How can you think of those brutal killers as family?" Phillida asked, disgust was clear on his face. Azaka gave him a grin showing off all of his teeth.

"Because that's what they are to me. We may be brutal killers to you, Phillida but to each other we are family. We work together and protect each other. We're not as brutal as you think. You're precious members of the Imperial Guard are more cruel than any member of the Dark Brotherhood." Azaka said. Phillida glared at Azaka but said nothing.

_I hope someone breaks me out of here soon. Phillida looks kinda unstable tonight. _Azaka thought. He sighed and leaned back against the wall in his cell.

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"And then, when the crook tried to get away, Jenkins tackled him and they fell off the roof!" A guard said loudly. His friend, another guard, laughed.

"By the Nine, I wish I had been there! What happened next?" His friend asked.

"Well then the other crook, the Dark Elf one jumped up and…."

Christine shook her head as she listened to the two stupid guards. She and Rain we're hiding up on a ledge above them. They were waiting for the guards to actually do what they were supposed to and continue on their rounds through the sewers. Suddenly Rain's foot slipped and she gasped loudly. Christine caught her and pulled her out of sight of the guards, holding very still.

"Hey, you hear something?" One of the guards asked.

"It must've just been a rat. This place is crawling with them. Come on, we should probably keep going." The other said. They walked off. Christine and Rain jumped down onto the ground quietly.

"That was too close. Be more careful next time Rain." Christine whispered.

"I'm sorry. I'll try." Rain said. They started to walk in the opposite direction of the guards, towards the jail. A door opened loudly.

"Man, I'm so tired. I can't wait until we get to….HEY STOP! INTRUDERS!" A guard yelled loudly. His partner turned around and started to run in the opposite direction, probably to get other guards. Christine swore loudly and pulled out her sword.

"Rain, stay close to me." Christine ordered. She head another door open and two more guards walked in. Christine got ready to fight.

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"Captain Phillida!" A young guard rushed into the room quickly. Phillida was leaning against the wall staring at one of the prisoners.

"What is it, soldier? It better be important." Phillida said.

"It is sir. We've found someone trying to break into the prison by way of the sewers. A female Redguard and a young Wood Elf are down there sir." Phillida looked up sharply.

"Was the female Redguard in shrouded armor?" He asked.

"Yes sir. Three guards are currently confronting them."

"Well then, what are we waiting for? Let's go down there and capture them. They're members of the Dark Brotherhood!" The guard nodded and started back to the sewers. Phillida turned to Azaka.

"Well, let's see what your _family _is up to." And with that he turned and left with the other two guards in the room. Azaka sighed again.

_What an idiot. He just left me in here unguarded. I doubt Christine and Rain are the only two who came._ Azaka thought with a smirk.

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Lucien opened the secret door in the wall quietly. He stepped out and into the unused cell with Kira close behind them. No one was sure why the guards never used this cell but it was always empty. Lucien peered through the cell bars. There were absolutely no guards in the room.

"Well that's unusual. I guess this is our lucky day." Lucien opened the door and stepped out. Kira ran over to another cell.

"Azaka!" She shouted happily. Azaka looked up and grinned.

"Kira and Lachance! By Sithis, I've never been happier to see you two before!" The Argonian stood up and approached the cell door.

"Here I've got the key." Lucien said and opened the door. Azaka stepped out happily.

"Now let's get out of here. We should meet Rain and Christine at the…" Lucien was interrupted by Azaka.

"No, Brother, they are under attack by several guards. Phillida is among them. We will have to rescue them all."

"What?" Kira asked.

"Oh this is just fantastic. Here, Azaka take this dagger. Let's go save them." Lucien led the way to the door all of the guards had exited through earlier.

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Christine was fighting her hardest. There were three guards all trying to take her down together plus she had to protect Rain. Rain was hiding behind Christine and an empty crate near the wall.

Christine swore as three more guards plus Adamus Phillida rushed in but at least the three who were attacking her dropped back a bit.

"Christine Chranda, it's been too long." Phillida said as he pulled out his sword. Christine glanced back quickly to look for Rain but she wasn't there. _Where'd she go? Oh well, at least she's safe. _Christine thought.

"Personally I think it hasn't been long enough since I last saw you Phillida." Christine said darkly.

"I'm afraid though, my dear assassin, that this time you won't get away." Phillida charged at Christine and they began to fight. At least the guards weren't attacking Christine too.

Phillida was a powerful man and a master swordsman. His attacks were swift and powerful. Christine had to work hard to block his attacks. It was impossible to get an attack in. Finally Christine saw and opening and she stabbed at Phillida. He blocked but wasn't fast enough to block the second attack.

Christine's sword cut through his right leather gauntlet. Phillida grunted in pain as he felt the sword leave a long cut down his arm. In anger he swung his sword at Christine. She jumped back and it missed her shoulder. Instead, Phillida's sword sank into her stomach. Christine gasped and staggered backwards before falling to her knees.

She looked up to see Rain staring in shock at her from behind the guards before she turned and ran through the door Phillida had come through. Christine looked up as Phillida smirked at her. Then everything went black.

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"C'mon guys, we've gotta hurry!" Kira said as she led Lucien and Azaka down the stairs to the sewers.

"We are hurrying, Kira." Lucien said. Suddenly they all stopped as they heard someone run up the stairs. They pulled out their weapons and stood still, ready to attack. Out of the darkness came Rain. She looked terrified and there were tears running down her face.

"Kira, Luke, they got Christine!" She said sobbing. Kira put an arm around her shoulders and tried to comfort her.

"Wait, what happened Rain?" Lucien asked.

"They _killed _Christine!" She sobbed. Lucien felt his heart skip a beat and all the color drained from his face. There was a dangerous glint in his eyes. Kira was holding back tears and comforting her sister. Azaka kneeled down and helped Kira to comfort Rain. Lucien started to walk down the stairs to the sewers.

"Where are you going brother?" Azaka asked.

"I'm going to kill them. I'm going to _kill _them all!" Lucien growled. He started to run down the stairs with his sword drawn.

"Brother, wait!" Azaka stood up and chased after Lucien.

"C'mon Rain. Let's go with them." Kira said as she pulled out a short sword. Rain nodded and together they ran down the stairs.

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"All right soldiers, let's get out of here. We wouldn't want that Argonian to escape." Phillida said as he wiped blood off his sword. The guards turned and started for the door. Just as one of them was about to open the door it burst open and knocked two guards back.

A 20 year old man ran into the room. He was clearly furious. He charged at a startled guard and cut him down before he could react. Then the man stabbed the two guards who had fallen over when the door opened.

Azaka, the Argonian who had been in the cell followed behind him. Next came two girls, the taller one was wielding a sword and the other one just looked scared. When Phillida got a clear look at the young man he recognized him at once. _Lucien Lachance._

"I'm going to kill you, Phillida." Lucien growled.

"I defeated your leader, boy. Just surrender now. You can't win." Phillida said. Azaka stepped forward to stand next to Lucien.

"We're not going to let you get away with this, Phillida. Not after you've murdered our sister." Azaka said. Kira and Rain were slowly and quietly making their way around the back of the guards where they would have space to run away if they had to.

"Rain, go hide over by the door that leads deeper into the sewers in case you need to run, okay?" Kira whispered. Rain nodded and hid behind a barrel.

"Such brave words from someone who obviously can't win. There are four of us and only two of you." Phillida said. Suddenly, Lucien charged forward and Phillida and they began to fight. Azaka started to fight with two of the guards while the other one helped Phillida.

Kira jumped forward from behind the guard and stabbed at his back and arms. He grunted in pain and turned to face Kira. Lucien took his chance and stabbed the guard who fell down, dead. Phillida stabbed at Lucien and cut his shoulder.

Phillida got ready to finish Lucien off but Azaka rushed forward. He had killed one of the guards and wounded the other. Phillida's sword cut into Azaka's chest.

Lucien staggered forward, holding a hand to his wounded shoulder and watched in horror as Azaka fell to the ground. Lucien did the only thing he could do at the point. He turned around, picked up Kira and ran, stopping only to grab Rain. He ran down into the sewers taking every shortcut and secret path he knew. Phillida didn't follow after them.

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Outside, it was windy and raining. The sky was dark and only lit up occasionally when there was lightning. Lucien panted heavily as they finally made it back to Shadowmere and Moonscar. Lucien staggered a few more steps before falling to the ground with Kira and Rain by his side. Never before had he run so hard.

"Are you…two…okay?" Lucien asked in-between coughs.

"They didn't hurt us. We should look at your shoulder, Lucien." Kira said. She had to keep her mind off Christine and Azaka. Rain was sobbing quietly by Moonscar.

"I can take care of it. Look after your sister, okay?" Lucien sat up and pulled off his shirt. He rubbed a weak healing potion to his shoulder before putting the same shirt back on. Kira was doing all she could to comfort Rain.

"Come on you two. We'll all ride on Shadowmere on the way back to Cheydinhal. Moonscar will follow us." Lucien lifted the girls up onto Shadowmere before getting on himself and they rode off as fast as possible. Christine's horse followed close behind.

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Phillida grunted a bit when the healer applied a potion to the cut on his arm. He would have nasty scar.

"There you go, Captain. Now don't try to use that arm too much at first and make sure you keep it clean. We wouldn't want it to get infected." The healer said before packing up and leaving the room.

"Well, today was quite a victory for you Adamus. I only wish I could have the same success in finding the Grey Fox and the Thieves Guild." Hieronymus Lex said. Adamus smiled faintly at his friend.

"I'm sure you'll find him eventually. No one can hide from you forever. But something is troubling me." Phillida said distantly.

"What is it?" Lex asked.

"Well, there was this girl with Chranda and Lachance. Her hair was dark brown and her eyes were a fierce icy blue. I could've sworn she was the child of Alexial Azrael, the weapons master up in Bruma."

"You mean _the _Alexial Azrael who was murdered along with his wife 8 years ago and his children kidnapped? Why would the Dark Brotherhood take his daughter? They're assassins, not kidnappers. Plus how can you be sure. His other child wasn't even Imperial so it could be a coincidence." Lex said.

"No, I'm sure. The other girl was a Wood Elf, just like Azrael's adopted child." Phillida said confidently.

"Well that is odd. Why would the Brotherhood want Azrael's daughters?"

"Maybe they're hoping Azrael's biological daughter will be a weapons master like her father one day. When I met Azrael I have to admit I was terrified of the man." Phillida said.

"I never met him. What was he like?" Lex asked.

"He was a cold, harsh man. He was normally quiet but when he did say something you didn't argue with him. He had a nasty temper and was very strict on his students. He trained many people to use many different weapons. His daughter is obviously good with a sword already."

"Well, there's not much we can do about Azrael's kids now. Let's just wait and see if they show up again. Maybe they are being held against their will?" Lex asked.

"No, they clearly liked being around Lachance, Chranda and that Argonian. We should keep our eyes out for them once they are older. They may pose a great threat. But for now, let us celebrate my victory. Christine was one of the top members of the Dark Brotherhood." Phillida said. Lex agreed and they began their weekly ritual of drinking and trading old war stories.

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_Early the next morning…_

Lucien jumped off Shadowmere and tied her alongside Moonscar at the Brotherhood's secret stables. He was exhausted and his shoulder hurt. He sighed loudly and turned to Kira who was looking though his bag.

"What are you looking for?" Lucien asked.

"Medicine. Rain's got a really bad cough and I think maybe a fever." Kira replied. Rain was slumped against a nearby tree, half awake. Kira found the medicine and made her sister drink it.

"Come on, you two. We can treat all our wounds at the Sanctuary. Let's go." Lucien picked up Rain and walked off to the west gate with Kira following close behind.

When they were safely inside the Sanctuary, Lucien sat Rain down at a table and slumped into a chair himself, unable to go on. Vicente walked into the room and noticed them immediately.

"Oh my, you all look horrible. Lucien, what happened?" He asked worriedly.

"Before I explain, you should probably get everyone in here. And we need some medicine for Rain. I think she's sick." Lucien said.

"I'll go find everyone." Kira said before running off to the living quarters.

"I'll find some medicine for Rain. Are you injured too, Lucien?" Vicente asked.

"I have a bad cut on my shoulder. It needs to be bandaged but I'll be fine until you can take care of Rain. And you may want to check on Kira too. She says she's not hurt but I'm not so sure."

"Of course. You rest here. I'll be right back." Vicente picked up Rain and carried her out of the room.

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Twenty minutes later everyone was in the main room. It seemed empty now without Azaka and Christine. Now there was only Ocheeva, Teinaava, Vicente, M'raaj-Dar and Jet. Everyone sat around Lucien and Kira who were telling what happened. Rain was asleep leaning against Vicente.

"And then I grabbed the girls and ran. There was nothing else I could do." Lucien said finally.

"What do we do now, Vicente?" Jet asked the vampire.

"We'll have to contact the Black Hand. Someone will have to be named the new Speaker for the Cheydinhal Sanctuary. Ocheeva, would you mind going to grab some paper and a quill for me?" Vicente asked.

"Of course, brother." Ocheeva got up and left the room. She came back a moment later. Vicente managed to rip his right arm away from a sleeping Rain and began to write, explaining what had happened.

"Someone will need to take this to Arquen's Silencer. I believe he is currently in Bravil." Vicente said.

"I will take the letter to Bravil, brother. I will leave immediately." Teinaava said. He stood up, grabbed the letter and left.

"Now, you three need to get to bed." Vicente said, looking at Kira, Lucien and Rain who was half awake.

"I don't wanna move, Vicente." Rain said sleepily.

"I'll carry you to your room. Lucien, can you manage to get Kira?" Vicente asked.

"Yeah, c'mon, Kira let's go kid." Lucien, being very careful about his shoulder, picked up Kira and half carried her; half dragged her out of the room to her bedroom. Vicente carried Rain to her room and then walked to his room. It had been a long night for everyone.

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_3 days later…_

Arquen walked into the Cheydinhal Sanctuary. Vicente looked up from a book he was reading when she walked into the room.

"Arquen, welcome to our Sanctuary. I trust you received the letter?" Vicente asked.

"Yes I have, dear brother and it worries me greatly. The letter said Christine and Azaka are both dead, correct? This is very troubling."

"Why don't you sit down and I will find Lucien, Kira and Rain, the family members who were there." Vicente said. He found Lucien and Kira taking turns throwing knives at a wooden dummy. Rain was still in bed. She had caught a cold but would be fine in another day or so. They all walked out to meet Arquen.

"I'm glad the three of you made it out alive. Now, will you please explain to me what happened?" Arquen said. Lucien and Kira quickly explained what happened after they had found Azaka and Rain filled in little bits of what had happened to Christine.

"You were right to run, brother. It's better if some of you made it out alive." Arquen said.

"Who will be the new Speaker?" Jet asked. The other family members had entered the room.

"I have spoken with the other members of the Black Hand and we all agree. Christine's Silencer, Lucien Lachance shall be the new Speaker for the Black Hand. Lucien, you and I must talk in private about your new duties. Come with me brother." Arquen led a somewhat surprised looking Lucien into the other room.

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_Two hours later…_

Kira looked up when she heard the door open. Arquen had left a little while ago, saying she had given Lucien all that he would need to be a Speaker. He now walked out of the room they had been in, wearing Black Hand robes. Kira lifted one eyebrow at him.

"What?" Lucien asked as he pulled up the hood.

"You just look…different is all. And you're going to leave now, aren't you?" Kira asked sadly.

"Yeah, I have a lot of work to do now and I'll have to find my own hideout. I'll be sure to stop back soon though." Lucien said.

"You're leaving right now?" Kira asked.

"Yeah. I'm going to say goodbye to everyone and leave. You take care of your sister, okay kid?" Lucien ruffled Kira's messy hair. She reached up to hug him.

"I don't want you to leave, Luke. It's going to be so empty here now." Kira said sadly.

"I'll be back okay? I've gotta go. Goodbye, Kira." Lucien patted her on the head before walking out of the room. He quickly said goodbye to everyone else and left. Kira sighed and walked into her room. Things were going to be very quiet without Lucien and Azaka around but she deal with it.

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AUGH this took like 4 hours to type.

Anyway, so sad about Christine and Azaka.

And (gasp) LUCIEN HAS LEFT TO BE A SPEAKER.

How will we deal without him around?

Well you'll just have to review so we update faster and tell you.

Muhahahaha.


	5. Chapter 5

Raised in the Shadows

Disclaimer: You know it already!

A/N: We're really bored and Gaaraxocfan is staying the night at Wantaco79's house so we're gonna stay up all night updating this and playing Oblivion and Morrowind! Rejoice mortals.

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_Three years later…_

Kira was angry. She was angry because she was now 15 years old. She was now old enough to join the Dark Brotherhood. But was Lucien Lachance there to tell her what she had to do to officially join? No, Lucien was no where to be found. No one had any idea where he went when he was on official Black Hand business. Kira hadn't even seen him in a year.

So Kira walked angrily around Anvil, looking for the jail. Finally she found it, walked inside and asked if she could visit a prisoner. The guard led her to Rain's cell and then walked down the hall to give them some privacy but he was still watching closely.

"My first time in Anvil and I get arrested." Rain said.

"What'd you do again?" Kira asked.

"I got caught stealing. Are you here to bail me out?" Rain asked hopefully.

"Um….."

"Please?"

"Well I would, it's just…I don't have the gold with me." Kira explained. Rain pouted.

"Well then what are you gonna do? Are you just gonna leave me here to rot?"

"No, I only left the money at an inn just outside of town. I'll go get it and bale you out tomorrow."

"You're going to let me stay the night in jail?" Rain asked.

"Don't worry. It's builds character!" Kira said before leaving quickly. She walked out of the jail and started back to the inn just outside of town. She walked slowly past the guards at the gate, being careful to keep her face hidden beneath a hood. Finally she was on the road back to the small inn she was staying at.

She was still angry and furious for no reason. Along the way she was stopped by a wandering beggar.

"Spare a coin for an old beggar?" The Khajiit asked. Kira stared at the beggar before suddenly pulling out her short sword and stabbing the surprised beggar. She hid the corpse and cleaned off her sword before continuing on as if nothing happened. She reached the inn and quickly fell asleep in her room.

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_3 hours later…_

"You sleep soundly, for a little twerp." A familiar deep voice said. Kira sat up quickly in bed and looked around in the dark.

"Lucien!" Kira said. She reached out into the darkness and hugged him. Then she realized something.

"Wait….were you watching me sleep?" She asked a little creeped out.

"What, no! It's just part of the job. Really, I swear." Lucien said.

"You were so watching me sleep." Kira said.

"I'm not going to get into an argument about this. This is important business, Kira." Lucien said.

"Why are you here? And how'd you find me?" Kira had forgotten she was mad at Lucien.

"The Night Mother had sent me to you. You killed a beggar and then did not show any remorse over it. I'm him to let you officially join the Dark Brotherhood." Lucien said.

"That is, of course, _if _you actually _want _to join the Dark Brotherhood." Lucien said.

"Just tell me what I've gotta do, Lachance!" Kira was close to strangling him. Lucien laughed. This was definitely more fun than dealing with new members who had never even heard of the Dark Brotherhood.

"You must go to the Inn of Ill Omen, south of the Imperial City and kill a man named Rufio with this dagger. It is a virgin blade and has never before tasted blood." Lucien handed Kira the Blade of Woe.

"Kill Rufio and then, if you sleep in a location I deem secure, I will contact you and you will officially be apart of the Dark Brotherhood." Lucien said darkly. Kira grinned.

"That's all I've gotta do? Just kill some random old man? That's way too easy, Lucien." Kira said.

"Well then, if it's so easy I'll probably be seeing you in just a few days." Lucien stood up from where he was sitting next to the bed.

"You're leaving already? I haven't even gotten to see your face yet. It's too dark in here." Kira said. She heard Lucien sigh loudly. He cast a small flare spell and lit some of the candles in the room. He pulled off his hood and looked at Kira.

His hair wasn't as messy and it wasn't as long either. His eyes were still the same dark color. He had five o clock shadow and looked as if he hadn't shaved in days.

Lucien stared down at Kira. She had grown a lot over the last year. Standing up she would probably be close to Lucien's height. Her hair was darker and a little longer. Even now she quickly reached up to pull it back in a ponytail. She'd really grown a lot since Lucien had last seen her a year ago.

"You look good, Kira." Lucien grinned as Kira blushed.

"Where have you been over the last year, Lucien?" She asked, trying to change to subject.

"All over, really. I've had a lot of work to do. The last time I was in the sanctuary Vicente told me you and Rain had been spending a lot of time traveling. Where is Rain anyway?" Lucien sat back down next to Kira.

"Oh, she's in jail." Kira said simply.

"Why is she in jail?"

"She got caught trying to steal some jewelry from the count here in Anvil. I'm going to bail her out tomorrow. Or maybe I'll do it after I kill Rufio in a few days. I'll get to it eventually." Kira shrugged. Lucien laughed a bit before standing up.

"I've gotta go. But don't worry; I'll see you after you kill Rufio." Lucien leaned down quickly and kissed her on the cheek before using a spell to turn invisible and walking silently out of the room. Kira blushed and blew out all of the candles. She lied back in bed and fell asleep. Tomorrow she would go to kill Rufio.

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_The next morning…_

Kira yawned and walked towards the Anvil jail. She walked inside and paid the bail for Rain. Ten minutes later they were on their way to the Inn of Ill Omen, both of them riding on Moonscar, Christine's old horse.

"So we're going to an old inn, to kill a guy?" Rain asked.

"Yes."

"And you're saying that Lucien snuck into your room last night and told you do this? Are you sure you haven't been taking scooma?" Rain asked.

"Yes, I'm sure. Calm down Rain. You're just jumpy because I just bailed you out of jail." Kira said. They continued on for several hours until they reached the Inn of Ill Omen at sunset.

"Wait out here, Rain." Kira jumped off of Moonscar and walked inside. She asked the man at the front desk if Rufio was there. He told her his room was downstairs. She thanked the man and walked downstairs and into Rufio's room.

Rufio was asleep on the bed. Kira pulled out the Blade of Woe and slit Rufio's throat. He grunted quietly before falling silent.

"That was really easy." Kira said to herself before walking outside. She got back on Moonscar.

"That was fast." Rain said.

"He was asleep and didn't hear me come in. All I had to do was slit his throat." Kira said simply.

"Oh no, now I'll have to deal with you talking about all of your contracts from now on." Rain said. Kira laughed a bit.

"Okay, so Lucien said that if I sleep in a place he deems secure he'll show up again. Where do you think we should go next, Rain?"

"Why don't we head back to the Sanctuary? What place could be more secure than that?" Rain asked.

"Alright. Let's head back to Cheydinhal before the guy in the inn realizes Rufio is dead." Kira turned Moonscar in the direction of Cheydinhal.

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_Much later that night…_

Kira and Rain walked into the Dark Brotherhood Sanctuary for the first time in months. They were both glad to be back. Teinaava and a new member were sitting in the main room.

"Kira, Rain, how wonderful to see you both again. This is Gogron Gro-Belmog." Teinaava said. The Orc sitting next to him grinned.

"Nice to me ya both. I've heard a lot about you from everyone." Gogron said. Rain and Kira smiled at him.

"Hey, Teinaava where's Vicente? Is he awake yet?" Kira asked.

"I think so. He should be in his personal quarters." Teinaava said. The girls walked downstairs to Vicente's room.

"Hey Vicente, we're back." Rain said happily. Vicente looked up from a book he was reading and smiled.

"I'm glad you're both back. But I thought you said you weren't going to be back until a week from now." Vicente said.

"Apparently Lucien snuck into Kira's room at an inn near Anvil and told her how she could officially join the Dark Brotherhood. He said if she then slept in a secure place he would come again." Rain said.

"Lucien seems to be awfully fond of watching people sleep and then waking them up." Kira said, laughing a little bit.

"That does seem to be what he does with most new members. And the Sanctuary is obviously very secure. I'm glad you're both back." Vicente said. Suddenly Rain's stomach growled.

"Ugh, I'm hungry. I'm going to go eat." Rain left the room. Kira yawned.

"And I'm pretty tired. I'm gonna go to bed. I'll see you later Vicente."

"Goodnight, Kira." Kira walked out of the room and to the living quarters. She took a moment to say hello to Jet and Ocheeva before walking into her room. She placed the Blade of Woe on her bedside table before falling asleep.

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_A few hours later…_

Kira yawned and stretched. She opened one eye lazily to look about her room. She almost jumped out of her bed when she spotted Lucien leaning against the wall.

"I don't think I've ever seen anyone who's as deep a sleeper as you, Kira." He said.

"Do you get a kick out of watching people sleep? Because it's really weird, Lucien." She said defensively. Lucien laughed.

"Actually it's usually pretty boring. But for some reason you're absolutely fascinating to watch sleep." He said.

"And why's that?"

"You talk in your sleep. I'm pretty sure I heard my name come up a couple times." He said, smirking. Kira blushed a bit. Lucien sat down on the edge of her bed next to her. He leaned a little closer to her.

"Now why would my name come up so many times while you were asleep?" Lucien asked.

"Maybe it's because I was dreaming about how big of an ass you are and was attacking you with something." Kira said. Lucien only continued to smirk and leaned in a little closer.

"Really? It seems to me that you were rather enjoying yourself." Lucien said simply. He continued to lean closer and closer until Kira was lying back on the pillows and Lucien was hovering above her. He grinned at her. Kira was blushing a bit.

"You're so weird; you know that right, Lachance?" Kira asked. Lucien only chuckled a bit before leaning down to kiss her. After a moment Lucien pulled back and continued to grin at Kira.

"I really hate you." She said simply. Lucien laughed before standing back up.

"Well, I must be off. I left your new armor on your bedside table. You can now receive contracts from Vicente."

"You're such a jerk. You're just gonna leave like that?" Kira asked, sitting up.

"I'll be sure to try and stop by the sanctuary more often. Plus, I'll probably see you around more often now that you'll be taking contracts." Lucien smirked at Kira.

"So wait, what does this make….us now? Are we like courting now or what?" Kira asked.

"It's whatever you want to make of it."

"What the hell does that even mean?" Kira asked. Lucien laughed again.

"I'll see you soon, Kira." Lucien kissed her quickly before walking out of the room. Kira sighed and lay back down again.

Lucien was so strange sometimes. He had changed a lot after Christine's death. Vicente said that Lucien had seemed as if he had lost his mother a second time. Kira smirked before falling asleep again.

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_That night…_

"Hey, Kira. Did Lucien visit you again?" Rain asked as they sat down to eat.

"Yeah." Kira said distantly.

"What's up with you? Did something happen?" Rain asked.

"He…kissed me. I mean really kissed me. For like five minutes."

"Really? And this was all just out of nowhere?"

"Yeah."

"Wow, that's…random. Was he a good kisser?" Rain asked.

"Hell yes. It's was pretty great. I couldn't think for like a minute afterwards." Kira said.

"Wow, that's so unfair. I've never kissed a guy yet and you get Lucien Lachance!" Rain said. Jet overheard them and walked over to the table.

"What's going on between Kira and Lachance?" He asked.

"Nothing, Jet. Go away." Kira said.

"Aw c'mon. You can tell me!" Jet whined.

"Well…maybe if you tell us what your real name is then I'll tell." Kira said. They had found out a while ago that Jet's name wasn't really Jet and he refused to tell anyone what it was. Jet made a face.

"That's not fair, Kira." He whined.

"I think it's a perfectly fair trade."

"Fine then. I'll just get all of the details from Lachance, next time he stops through." Jet said before walking away. Kira and Rain laughed a bit. They both looked up as the door opened and Vicente walked in. He walked over to them and sat down.

"Kira, Lucien paid me a visit and told me you can now accept contracts. I have a simple read now if you're interested." He said.

"Of course I'm interested. What do I have to do?" Kira asked.

"You must go to the Imperial City Waterfront and kill a pirate captain named Gaston Tussaud on the ship the Marie Elena. That's all you've got to do. You'll receive more complicated contracts as you continue through the ranks of the Dark Brotherhood. Do you accept this contract?"

"I accept. It sounds simple enough. I'll leave tomorrow." Kira said.

"Excellent. Good luck, Kira." Vicente stood back up and walked off.

"You're going to take me with you, aren't you Kira?" Rain asked.

"What, no way." Kira said.

"Quit kidding around Kira!" Rain said.

"Alright, alright. I'll let you come too. Tomorrow we'll leave to kill Gaston Tussaud!" Kira said excitedly.

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Augh, another 4 hours!

You all should be very grateful to us.

Anyway, you can probably expect another chapter sometime today or tomorrow.


	6. Chapter 6

Raised in the Shadows

Disclaimer: Honestly, we don't own it.

A/N: As we said before we're very bored. So here's another chapter!

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_One year later… _

Kira quickly packed her few belongings into her bag. She had already packed her clothes and shrouded armor. Now she was grabbing her favorite weapons that she would want with her for the next year.

She and Rain were going to leave the Sanctuary to live on their own for one year. They just wanted to see what life was like taking care of themselves. Kira had already told everyone in the Sanctuary that she was leaving. But Rain for some reason had refused to tell anyone she would be leaving too.

Kira sighed and thought about Lucien. He was the only person who she hadn't been able to tell yet. She hadn't seen him in a few months. He'd definitely be mad a year from now. Even worse than Lucien's reaction, Kira was afraid to see Vicente's reaction when he finds out Rain was leaving too.

Vicente was normally a calm and controlled man but he had his moods. Most of the time he was polite and pleasant to talk to. But sometimes Vicente could get in a very dark mood with a nasty temper. If you did anything to set him off he'd be growling at you with his fangs bared. He always felt horrible after these moments though. It was a part of his vampire curse.

Kira turned around as she heard her door open. Rain walked in.

"Are you ready to go, Kira?" She asked.

"I'm almost ready. I've still gotta pack a few more things. Are you sure you don't want to at least tell Vicente you're going? He'll be crushed if we both leave." Kira said worriedly.

"Yes I'm sure. They'll all just try and stop me from leaving. Can you just hurry up and get ready?" Rain said impatiently.

"Rain, I'm not leaving until you go and tell Vicente you're leaving too. It'll be easier on everyone then." Kira said.

"Kira, I don't want to do that." Rain complained.

"Do it or we're not leaving at all. No arguing." Kira said. Rain sighed.

"Alright, I'll go tell Vicente but we leave right after that okay? I'm gonna go grab my bag, then I'll tell Vicente and then we leave." She said.

"Okay, sounds good to me." Kira turned back to her bag and heard Rain walk out of her room. Kira sighed and began to hum that old lullaby of Lucien's.

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Lucien walked into the Sanctuary. He walked swiftly down to Vicente's room and walked in.

"Ah, Lucien, how nice to see you again." Vicente said.

"Hello, Vicente. Is Kira here at the Sanctuary?" Lucien asked, getting right to the point.

"Well, yes she's still here. But haven't you heard?" Vicente asked.

"Heard what?"

"Kira said she's planning on leaving for a year. To get around and survive completely on her own. She's in her room right now…" Lucien had turned right around and practically ran out of the room. On his way to Kira's room he passed Rain but he didn't stop to say hello. Lucien barged right on into Kira's room.

"Hello, Lucien." She said, not even having to look up from her bag. Lucien advanced on Kira. She took a step backwards for every step forward he took until her back hit the wall.

"You're leaving the Brotherhood?" He growled.

"Only for a year! I'm not leaving for good. Calm down Lucien." Kira said. Lucien sighed and stared down at her.

"When were you planning on telling me?" He asked.

"As soon as I could actually find you. You're not around very often." Kira smiled faintly at Lucien. He grinned and leaned down to kiss her.

"So where are you going to live?" He asked, hoping to get as much information out of her as possible.

"Rain and I are going to Bruma…Damn it. I hate you Lucien." Kira glared at him.

"So your sister's going with you but neither of you has told anyone. How interesting…" Lucien smirked.

"Don't tell any of the other family members, Lucien." Kira pleaded. Lucien kissed her quickly again.

"What, you don't trust me? I can assure you I'm much better at keeping secrets than you Kira. How many people have you told about us?" Lucien asked. Kira rolled her eyes at him.

"I've told Rain and that's it. I don't know why you insist on keeping this a secret, Lucien." Kira leaned her head against his shoulder and sighed softly.

"I want to keep it a secret in fear of what Vicente would threaten me with if he found out. You're his daughter and he's extremely protective of you." Lucien wrapped one arm around Kira and pulled her close.

"I never thought I'd see the day when you admitted you were afraid of something, Lucien." Kira smirked. Lucien rolled his eyes.

"I accepted the fact long ago that I am human and bound by several limitations. Vicente on the other hand is a vampire. He could rip off my head in an instant if he wanted to."

"Vicente wouldn't do that."

"Well, he could. I've seen him do it to a guard once." Lucien said.

"If you say so. Just promise you'll try to stay out of trouble while I'm gone." Kira looked up at Lucien. He nodded.

"You'll be sure to write often, right?" Lucien asked. Kira looked up at him.

"How will I get letters to you at Fort Farragut?" She asked.

"Just send a letter here for me every month or so. I'm sure Vicente will manage to get it to me." Lucien said confidently. Suddenly he sat down on her bed and pulled Kira onto his lap.

"Lucien!" She laughed.

"Admit it; you're really going to miss me." Lucien said in-between kisses. Kira appeared to think about it for a second.

"Nah, I don't think so. I'm sure I'll find plenty of guys to replace you." Kira laughed as Lucien growled.

"I'm too incredibly awesome for you to replace." Lucien said. Kira laughed again.

"Yes dear, no one will ever be able to replace you. Did I hurt your feelings with that comment?" She asked. Lucien looked up pretending to be extremely insulted.

"You hurt my man feelings." He said quietly.

"Well, I'm sorry." Kira said, playing along. She started to kiss Lucien.

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Rain walked slowly to Vicente's room. Lucien had just passed her, walking quickly but she was sure she didn't want to know what that was all about. She really didn't want to be the one to tell Vicente she was leaving but she didn't really have a choice. She sighed and walked into Vicente's quarters.

"Hey, Vicente can I talk to you?" She asked nervously.

"Of course, Rain. What do you need?" Vicente asked.

"Well, I've gotta tell you something." She said.

"What is it Rain? You can tell me anything." He said.

"Well…I'm going to leave with Kira for a year. I've been planning on this but I didn't want to tell you." Rain decided to just blurt it out. She looked nervously at Vicente who had stood up suddenly. It seemed he was in one of his moods today.

"What?! Rain, you can't go out there! It's way too dangerous for you." He said angrily.

"You didn't seem to have a problem with it when it was just Kira." Rain said quietly.

"That's because Kira can take care of herself. She knows how to use a weapon and she's not afraid to kill someone who threatens her! You can barely use a small dagger Rain. It's much too dangerous for you Rain." Vicente was growling a bit. In the back of Rain's mind she wondered if he would start to foam at the mouth like a crazed dog.

"Vicente, please calm down!" She pleaded. Vicente clenched his fists and took a deep breath to calm down.

"I'm sorry Rain. It's just I'll worry about you. I know better than anyone how hard and cruel the world can be." A picture of the bodies of his wife and daughter flashed before his eyes for a second.

"I know, Vicente. But I'll be careful. Plus I'll have Kira with me the whole time." Rain looked hopefully at Vicente.

"Alright, you can go. Just please be careful. Kira's not known for looking out for others besides herself. Maybe you should seek out a weapons master to train you so you'll be safer." Vicente said finally.

"Thank you, Vicente! I'll be careful, I promise!" Rain hugged Vicente before running out of the room.

Vicente sighed and closed and locked his door. He cast a quick silencing spell. Suddenly he growled, picked up a chair and threw it at the wall. It smashed into several pieces and hit the ground with a clatter. He sighed and sat down. Sometimes he wondered what was wrong with him. Sometimes he felt as if he was losing his mind. He shook his head and started to repair the broken chair.

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Rain walked happily back to Kira's room with her bag slung over her left shoulder. Vicente had been very angry at first but overall it went much better than she expected. She barged right on into Kira's room without knocking.

"Hey, Kira…AUGH MY EYES." Rain blushed and covered her eyes. Kira and Lucien had both been lying on the bed, kissing. She heard Lucien laugh. Kira was probably blushing too.

"Hey, Rain. Care to join us?" Lucien said in-between laughing. Rain heard Kira punch his arm.

"Lucien! Shut up. You're such a jerk. It's okay, Rain. You can look. We're no longer going to scar you for life." Kira said. Rain opened her eyes and looked up. Lucien and Kira were both now standing up.

"By Sithis, you two. We're supposed to be leaving now, Kira." Rain said.

"What, I was just trying to say goodbye is all." Lucien laughed. Suddenly they heard someone walking down the hall way.

"Why did you scream?" Vicente asked worriedly walking over to Rain.

"Uh…no reason. I was just startled by Lucien is all." Rain said. Vicente looked into Kira's room. Kira was failing to hide her blush and Lucien's hair was completely messed up. Vicente raised on eyebrow.

"Of course. It was just Lucien. Well, shouldn't you and Kira be on you way? You wouldn't want to get caught in a snowstorm on the way to Bruma." Vicente said. Kira and Rain nodded and started to walk away.

"Um…I should probably get back to my Black Hand duties. It was…nice to see you again, Vicente." Lucien tried to walk past Vicente but the vampire gripped his arm tightly.

"I think we need to have a little talk about Kira before you leave, Lucien." Vicente said dangerously.

"Um…okay." Lucien was then practically dragged down to Vicente's quarters.

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_Several hours later…_

"How much longer until we get there?" Rain asked. She was riding on her horse Midnight Sun. Kira was next to her on Moonscar.

"Actually we should see the city walls in just…about…now." Kira pointed up and sure enough, there stood the city of Bruma.

"Finally, I thought we'd never get here!" Rain said happily. They rode up to the gates and hopped off their horses. Luckily for them none of the guards in Bruma had any reason to believe they were dangerous criminals so they didn't have to hide their faces. Rain waved at one of the guards.

"Hey, Lars!" She yelled. The guard looked up and grinned.

"Hello, Rain. I see you've finally made it here! How was your journey?" He asked.

"It was boring. Lars, this is my sister, Kira. I was adopted into her family. Kira this is Lars. He's a really nice guard I met once in Anvil." Rain said. Kira and Lars shook hands.

"Will either of you need help with anything?" Lars asked.

"Well, we need directions to our new house. Could you show us, Lars?" Rain asked. Lars agreed and led them to their new home just inside the gates.

"Have you two heard about what happened?" Lars asked as he led them to their house.

"Heard about what?" Kira asked.

"Emperor Uriel Septim was assassinated! And the city of Kvatch was attacked by Daedra and burned to the ground! But a hero rose up and saved the city. It's also rumored they found another heir that had been kept secret! It seems we have hope in this terrible Oblivion crisis." Lars said excitedly.

"Wow, Kvatch was almost completely destroyed?" Rain asked.

"Aye, but it's said that all of the Daedra have been chased out of the city and their planning on rebuilding soon." Lars said. He showed them to their house and then walked off to continue his duties. Kira and Rain sat down in their new dining room.

"Hmm, Septim, why does that name sound _really _familiar? I mean besides the fact that they're the royal family." Rain said thoughtfully.

"It's because they're our cousins, well technically, _my _cousins." Kira said simply.

"What, we're related to the Septim family!?" Rain asked.

"Yeah. If dad was still alive right now he'd probably be up at the Imperial City right now, leading the Imperial Army. You don't remember our parents or family much do you?" Kira looked at Rain who shook her head.

"I can only remember Mom. She was nice and caring. She was always working in her alchemy garden or healing the sick at the chapel. What was Dad like?" Kira scowled a bit.

"Dad was harsh and strict. He was the best weapons master in all of Cyrodiil probably. He was stubborn too. And he was never afraid to speak his mind to anyone. Once, just after our parents adopted you, Dad took me to the Imperial City for the first time. I was very young but I still remember it." Kira said distantly.

"What happened?" Rain asked.

"Dad took me to meet Emperor Uriel. I didn't know that he was emperor, heck I didn't even know what an emperor was! I got to call him Uncle Uriel. Dad and Uriel got a long pretty great. But they argued a lot too. Dad was always pointing out what Uriel was doing wrong. Even the emperor wasn't safe from Dad's sarcasm."

"Wow, so this new heir is our cousin?" Rain asked.

"Yeah. He's probably here in Bruma right now. Dad was always talking about Cloud Ruler Temple, just north of here, as the emperor's safe place in times of danger. That's where the Blades live." Kira explained then she yawned.

"I'm gonna go up to bed, alright Rain? I'll see you in the morning and we can talk more about this if you want. Good night." Kira walked upstairs to her room in the attic.

"Good night." Rain said before finding a book to read by the fireplace. She had a lot to think about now that she new they were related to the Septims.

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Woot, another chapter is finished.

Heh, heh, we wish Martin was our cousin. That'd be fun!

Oh and sorry if all the time skips get confusing but it's necessary.

And thanks for all of the reviews!


	7. Chapter 7

Raised in the Shadows

Disclaimer; Please see previous chapters.

A/N: We have way too much free time today. Here's our third chapter in two days!

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_Six months later…_

"Martin, I think it's time you came out of the closet." Kira said worriedly.

"Shh, I'm reading." Martin replied.

"What? No you're not. You're standing in your closet doing nothing. It's really creeping me out." Kira tried to drag her cousin out of the closet.

During the previous six months, Kira and Rain had been living happily in Bruma. But they soon realized that in order to survive the must have jobs to make money. Kira had started to work with a weapons master who taught younger warriors who were just starting to be adventurers. Most of the students were around 14 to 16 years old, just a little younger than Kira. Rain had started to work at an alchemy shop in town.

It was through these jobs that the Blades had found them. One day one of the Blades had stopped to watch the combat class Kira helped to teach. Kira was in a sparring match with the weapons master and actually managed to defeat him. Then Rain had run over to both of them to apply some potions she had made which were rather advanced.

The Blade had approached them and commented on how skilled they were. He had said the Blades could really use their help around Cloud Ruler Temple. So the girls had agreed, swearing to never tell the secrets of Cloud Ruler Temple. There they had met Martin. Kira and Martin had become friends fast. Eventually she had told Martin of their families being related. Martin was the only person in Bruma who knew Rain and Kira's last name was Azrael.

Rain got along alright with Martin but she spent most of her time with the other alchemist in Cloud Ruler: William. William was a Wood Elf like Rain and they got along great. William had been born in Morrowind and was raised there as a child. He had recently moved to Cyrodiil after his mother's death two years ago. He was just a few years old than Rain.

"What are you doing, anyway Martin?" Kira asked.

"I'm looking for something. There's supposed to be a secret spot in the wall in here. I'm looking for it. Previous emperors hid journals in it and it could help me once this crisis is over." Martin said.

"Well, you'll have to find it later. Your champions just returned." Kira said. Martin poked his head out from behind the closet door.

"Revan and Olaf are back? They survived the Mythic Dawn hideout?"

"Either they survived or I just had a lovely conversation with two ghosts. Now c'mon. You haven't eaten a decent meal in days and now is the perfect time to eat with Revan and Olaf." Kira started to drag Martin out of the closet.

"Alright, alright, I'm coming." Together they walked downstairs to the dining hall. Revan was a female Imperial. She had light brown hair that almost reached her shoulders. She was average height and had green eyes. She had apparently been in jail when she had met Emperor Uriel and was sent on a quest by him before his death. Olaf was a Dark Elf and a close friend of Revan's. He was pretty much a typical Dark Elf.

"Hello my friends. How did everything go at the Mythic Dawn hideout? Did you find the Amulet of Kings?" Martin asked as he sat down.

"I'm afraid not, Martin." Revan said sadly.

"But we did find this." Olaf held out a dark red book.

"What's that?" Rain asked as she walked into the room with William.

"It's the Mysterium Xarxes! How did you get that? It's a very dangerous book!" Martin said grabbing the book from Olaf.

"We found it at the Mythic Dawn hideout. Mankar Cameron used it to escape through some portal. He said he was going to Paradise." Revan explained.

"Can you use it for anything, Martin?" Olaf asked.

"I might be able to use it in order to get to Cameron's Paradise. But I'll have to translate it first. This is a very important book you've brought me. Good work you two." Revan and Olaf grinned triumphantly. Rain grabbed the book from Martin suddenly.

"But before you begin translating, you're going to eat dinner and get some sleep. You work much too hard, Martin." She said.

"You don't have to babysit me Rain." Martin said, taking the book back from her. Suddenly William yawned.

"I should probably be getting back to my house. I've had a long day. I'll see you all tomorrow." William said.

"Oh, do you want me to walk home with you, William?" Rain asked.

"Sure Rain, that'd be great."

"Kira, are you coming home too?" Rain asked.

"I will soon. There was some armor I was repairing that I should finish in the armory. I'll be home in an hour or so." Kira said. Rain nodded and she and William walked out of Cloud Ruler Temple. Kira walked slowly down to the armory.

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"Rain, we already talked about this. We can't get attached so attached to anyone here. You're getting too close to William." Kira said an hour later at home.

"I know, Kira. But why can't we get close to anyone?" Rain asked.

"Because, we can't risk anyone finding out about the Dark Brotherhood. Do you have any idea how much trouble we'd get in if someone found out?" Kira said angrily.

"But you're getting close to Martin!"

"Yes, but we don't have to worry about me telling him! I'd be the one who would get in trouble for telling someone. If you told anyone I'd still be the one who was punished."

"But you're boyfriend is part of the Black Hand. Couldn't Lucien bail you out of any trouble?" Rain asked.

"That'd only get Lucien in trouble too. Rain, just be careful of how attached you get to anyone." Kira sighed.

"I know…it's just, William's so nice. I really like him." Rain said.

"Rain," Kira sighed, "just be careful, alright? Maybe, after a long while, you decide that he can be completely trusted and we talk to Lucien about it, you can tell William. Until then keep your mouth shut and watch what you say." Kira warned.

"I will, I promise," Rain said before changing the subject, "Have you sent a letter to the sanctuary recently?"

"No, I haven't sent one in over a month. We should probably send another one or Vicente will start to worry." Kira said. Kira got up to grab two pieces of paper and two quills. She hand one quill and one paper to Rain.

"I'll write a letter to Lucien and you write one to Vicente." Kira said. They both started to write.

Kira wrote to Lucien about simple things. She told him how things were going with the weapons class she helped with. It was really just a simple letter telling him that she was staying out of trouble for once. She didn't mention Martin.

Rain wrote a letter to Vicente. She promised him everything was fine and she loved living in Bruma. She told him that she was doing great with her alchemy skills. She didn't mention William or Martin.

Rain and Kira had agreed that they shouldn't tell Lucien and Vicente about Martin until they see each other face to face if they ever do tell them about him. If they sent a letter now, telling about Martin and of his whereabouts it could be found by someone from Mythic Dawn which would put him in danger. Rain didn't want to tell Vicente about William in fear that he would come up to Bruma to threaten William like he did with Lucien.

"I'll send these off tomorrow morning before I go to the alchemy shop." Rain said.

"Alright, well I'm going to bed. Goodnight Rain." Kira got up and went upstairs. Rain waited a while until she was sure Kira was asleep. Then she got up and walked outside. She walked down to a small inn nearby and walked inside. She spotted who she was looking for sitting in the corner and sat down across from him.

"Hey, sorry if I'm a little late." Rain said.

"No problem. I haven't been her very long." William said. Rain smiled at him.

"You said you wanted some help on an experimental alchemy potion?" Rain asked.

"Yeah, I wasn't sure who else to ask. I wanted to start on a better quality strength potion to help the Blades when they have to fight Daedra." William said.

"Alright well then what ingredients did you think we should start with first?" Rain asked.

"Well, I brought some notes with me." William pulled some papers out of his pocket and they started to discuss where they should start. Later that night when Rain went home, she was in a very good mood.

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_Two months later…_

Rain continued to see William almost every night to work on the potion in secret. By now their meetings were more like dates than research. Sometimes they would hold hands or sit closer together than really necessary.

William knew that they had to keep it a secret from Kira and he never asked why. He just accepted the fact that Rain wanted to keep it a secret for a while. He didn't really mind anyway. He liked to spend time with Rain and that was all that mattered.

Today Kira was gone. Rain said that she had received a letter from a close friend from Cheydinhal saying they needed help with some sort problem. William was pretty sure someone was sick and they needed Kira's help to look after them.

William walked down the path to Rain's house. They were going to work on their potion there today. Today was their day off from helping out at Cloud Ruler Temple so they had plenty of free time. William walked inside the house.

"Hey, Rain. I'm here!" He shouted once he was inside. There was no response. William sighed and walked down the stairs to her room. He opened the bedroom door a little bit.

"Hey, Rain. Time to wake up." He heard Rain groan.

"It's too early, Will. Five more minutes." She complained.

"No Rain, we've gotta work out in the field today and look for ingredients. You need to get up and get ready." William heard Rain groan again but she started to get up.

"Fine. I'll be out in a minute." William grinned and walked back upstairs. A minute later Rain walked upstairs, fully dressed.

"What are we doing today?" She asked.

"We're going outside the area around the city and look for the needed ingredients." William answered.

"Alright then, let's go." They walked out of her house and down to the city gate.

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Kira sighed and leaned back against a branch in the tree she was hiding in. She had received a letter from Lucien saying that he needed her to kill someone for a contract. He said it would be simpler for her to kill the person because they travelled around a lot, especially near Bruma.

So there she sat, in a tree, waiting for the Khajiit she was supposed to kill. This was not one of her most exciting contracts but it would hopefully pick up once she attacked the Khajiit. Maybe he would have a companion who she could fight with too. The contract only said all she had to do was kill the Khajiit and then take the special sword he had with him, covered in his blood, and leave it in the house of his best friend in Skingrad.

Finally she spotted the Khajiit walking up the path. When he passed under the tree, Kira jumped down and quickly cut him down with her silver long sword. He didn't really put up much of a fight. Kira rummage through his bag until she found the sword. She also took all of his gold. Kira turned around and started walking towards Skingrad. She had to admit; it felt good to be back out doing contracts again.

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_A couple hours later…_

Rain and William walked tiredly back to Rain's house. They had found all of the ingredients they needed accept one. All they needed now was Nightshade. But neither of them was sure where to find it. They both sat down at the dining room table.

"By Sith…the Nine, I'm tired." Rain quickly covered up her mistake. She was mentally kicking herself for almost saying Sithis. Kira would kill her if she found out. William seemed too tired to notice.

"Yeah, me too." William sighed.

"Where do you think we'll find Nightshade?" Rain asked.

"I'll ask around the Mage's Guild. Someone's bound to have some they could spare." William sighed.

"Do you want to go get something to eat?" Rain asked hopefully.

"I can't. Sorry. My cousin is visiting and I said we'd go out to lunch. But I'll see you tomorrow." William leaned down to kiss Rain quickly on the cheek before getting up and leaving. Rain blushed and smiled a little bit. Then she got up and started to make lunch for herself.

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_The next morning…_

Kira sighed as she walked into her house. She had run most of the way back from Skingrad and was exhausted. She walked into the dining room to grab something to eat before falling asleep. On the dining room table she noticed some paper.

Curious, she looked at it. It definitely wasn't Rain's hand writing. The paper was extensive alchemy notes. After a moment of looking at it, Kira figured out whose handwriting it was. She ran down to Rain's room quickly.

"Rain, get up!" Kira practically shouted. Rain sat right up in bed.

"Wha…who…FIRE?" She gasped.

"I told you not to get too close to William." Kira said angrily.

"We were just working on a potion. By Sithis, Kira, you're worse than Vicente when he's having one of his moods." Rain complained.

"You're sure it's just working on that potion?"

"Well…we've kinda held hands…and kissed…" Rain said fearfully. Kira groaned.

"Rain…please at least telling me you're being careful. Do you realize how many secrets we really can't afford to tell?"

"I am being careful! I'm always watching what I'm saying. But it gets old, Kira. Will I ever get to tell him?" Rain asked.

"Maybe…one day if you're sure you can completely trust him after you've known him for years, okay? Until then be careful and all that. I'm tired. I'm going to bed." Kira walked back upstairs.

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Augh, I'm so tired.

Anyway, thanks for any reviews and all that stuff.

We'll probably update again in a week.


	8. Chapter 8

Raised in the Shadows

Disclaimer: (sighs) We've been over this. We're done.

A/N: Once again thanks for reviews and all that stuff. We really do appreciate it.

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_Four months later…_

"So are you ever gonna come back to Cheydinhal, Rain?" Kira asked as she packed her bag. It had been one year since they had moved to Bruma and now Kira was ready to return home to the Cheydinhal Sanctuary. She liked Bruma a lot but Cheydinhal would always be home. There were too many memories in Bruma that she didn't want to remember.

"I'll come back there…eventually." Rain tried to defend herself. Kira shook her head.

"Admit it; you're probably not gonna come back for years because you're way too happy with William."

"It's not just because of William! I like everyone at Cloud Ruler Temple like Martin and Jauffre. Even you are gonna miss Revan. You and she were way too much a like." Rain said. Kira shrugged.

"I'll admit I'll miss Martin. I'll live without everyone else. And at least I won't have to worry about Martin. The Oblivion Crisis is almost over and so far he's been safe. Plus, you gotta admit you miss everyone back at the Sanctuary."

"I do. But I will come back…someday. And I'll keep in touch! Why do you care anyway?" Rain titled her head to the side as she stared at her sister.

"I care because I don't want to have to be the one to tell Vicente and Ocheeva you're not coming back for a while. Vicente will probably come down to break down you're door." Kira laughed a bit.

"No, don't let Vicente come do that! Imagine what he'd do if he found me here with William." Rain panicked. Kira laughed some more.

"Yeah, I'd love to see that. After what he said to threaten Lucien I bet he'd be even harder on William. But don't worry; I'll do my best to keep him back at Cheydinhal. You just take care of yourself and stay in touch and all that." Kira hefted her bag over her shoulder and started walking downstairs to the front door.

"I know, I know. I'll be careful." Rain said impatiently.

"Oh and I'm leaving Moonscar with the Blades for a while. Martin will need a fast horse. So make sure they take good care of her." And with that Kira walked out of the house, leaving Rain to finally be on her own.

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Kira headed for the gates but turned before she got to them. There was one place she wanted to go before she left. She walked up the hill to the old abandoned mansion. She walked into the old Azrael house; her old home.

A while ago Kira had heard several people at the tavern talking about a very special sword in her old home. Most of the house had been ransacked once everyone had heard Alexial and Asana Azrael had been murdered and their two daughters missing. But there was one thing no one could take out of there. Rumor had it that Alexial's personal sword could not be removed from the house. If you tried to take it, Alexial's ghost would come and kill you.

Kira walked slowly up the stairs. The house was quiet and dusty. Kira could still remember what it had been like when she was a child but she forced those memories back. Kira walked into her parents' old bedroom.

The room was even worse than the rest of the house. The mattress from the bed was flipped off to the side. And there were blood stains. Some were very old and faint; probably the same blood from Alexial and Asana. But there were fresh blood stains too. From adventurers who couldn't steal Alexial's sword.

The sword was in the special display case on the side of the room. Its hilt was silver with black onyx stones of several sizes in it. The blade itself was black and sharp. Kira remembered her father could cast a shock spell from this sword, doing a lot of damage. Kira reached out towards the sword.

"Back away, adventurer. You may not touch my sword. Leave now and I won't kill you." Said a ghostly and familiar voice. Kira smirked.

"Well, personally I'm insulted. You don't recognize me Father?" She says. Alexial's ghost appeared next to the display case. His hair was cut rather short but it was still messed up a bit. His bangs got in the way of where his eyes should be.

"I'm surprised those murderers actually let you remember your real name." He said angrily. Kira raised on eyebrow.

"How'd you know I'd left with the Dark Brotherhood after your death?" She asked.

"You'll discover one day that when you're a ghost there is very little you do not know. I've watched over you and Rain from time to time. I can honestly say that I'm disgusted in what you've both become. You're a murderer and Rain's an assassin." Alexial growled.

"Can you blame me for doing what I think is right? The Nine Divines are trash. I serve Sithis." Kira said loyally. If Alexial could spit he would have.

"I suppose you've come to take my sword." He said after a moment.

"Yes I have. Am I going to have to fight you for it, Father?"

"No. I've spent over a decade guarding this sword until someone worthy came to take it. I might not care for you at all anymore Kira but I am bound by my word that I would pass it on to you one day." Alexial admitted angrily. He wanted to take down Kira. She was a killer, just like the vampire and Argonian who had murdered him. But he had made an oath long ago when he got the sword that he would pass it on to his first born child.

"Just make sure you never return here, to this house. I don't like having filth like you in my home." Alexial said with venom in his voice. Kira grabbed the sword and glared at him.

"Why don't you just move on to the Void? I'm sure the world would be a better place without you hanging around." She replied.

"Perhaps I will move on. Perhaps I'll continue to stay here. Why should it matter to you?"

"It doesn't matter to me," Kira strapped the sword to her back and turned away, "Goodbye, Father." Kira walked down the stairs and out of the house. She left Bruma and headed for Cheydinhal.

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_Several hours later…_

Rain walked into the tavern. She was starving. She walked up to the counter.

"Hey Meredith, what are you serving tonight?" Rain asked the Imperial lady behind the counter.

"Just mutton and ale tonight. It'll cost you ten gold." Meredith said. Rain paid her ten gold and then looked for a place to sit. She spotted William sitting in the corner and walked over to him.

"Hey Rain. How's it going?" He asked, biting into some mutton.

"Well, Kira left today. She went back home to Cheydinhal. And I've been working on a new potion besides our strength potion." Rain said.

"Really, what kind of potion?"

"It's really like a love potion. I was gonna use it on Lars and Meredith. I know they like each other. They'd make a perfect couple." Rain grinned.

"Nice, how's it coming along?" William took a large gulp of ale.

"Well I already tested it on myself and it works for females. But I need a male test subject." She looked hopefully at William.

"No Rain, I'm not gonna test out your Love Potion."

"Please, William? I'll be very careful and use just a little bit." Rain begged. After five more minutes of begging William sighed.

"Alright, I'll test it out for you. But we've gotta be careful! One wrong move and next thing you know I'm trying to kiss Martin or Jauffre!" William said. Rain laughed and made a disgusted face.

"You and Jauffre? That's way too scary. But thank you. We can test it out tomorrow." Rain quickly finished off her food and got up.

"Okay, I'll stop by your house around noon to work on it." William said. Rain nodded and left. She couldn't wait to work on her potion with William.

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_Very late that night…_

Lucien ran through the darkness, staring up at the stars to guide his way. He had been feeling bored and restless tonight so he decided to go for a run since Shadowmere needed rest. He focused only on the stars above him and the inevitable happened. He ran into another traveler who was also using the stars. They hit the ground and rolled off the main path into some trees.

"Damn it!" Lucien cursed as they rolled. The two landed in a messed up pile with Lucien on top. Lucien grunted with pain as soon as a finger he had recently broken slammed into a rock.

"Lucien?" A very familiar voice asked.

"Kira, you're back!" Lucien stared down in disbelief at Kira. She grinned up at him.

"It really is you! What the hell are you doing running outside in the middle of the night, Lucien?" She raised one eyebrow at him.

"That's unimportant now." He leaned down and kissed Kira. After a moment she pushed him a little ways away.

"Wait, Lucien, I should get to the Sanctuary. I told Vicente I would be back tonight." She said.

"Can't the Sanctuary wait?" Lucien almost whined. Kira grinned at him.

"No, you can come with me. Then, after I've said hello to everyone, maybe you can finally show me where you live at Fort Farragut." Kira raised one eyebrow at Lucien. He had never shown her where his fort was.

"Alright, alright. We'll go to the Sanctuary." Lucien sighed and stood up. Lucien helped Kira to her feet and they walked quickly to the Cheydinhal gates.

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"Kira, it fills my heart with warmth to see you again!" Teinaava greeted as soon as he saw Kira and Lucien enter the Sanctuary. Next to Teinaava a blonde haired Imperial woman was sitting.

"This is Antoinetta Marie. She's a new family member." Teinaava explained.

"And who even _are _you?" Marie asked rudely. Kira raised one eyebrow at her.

"I'm Kira Azrael. And I've been here a lot longer than you, so show some respect." Kira said with venom in her voice. Lucien looked at Teinaava.

"Girl fight." He said grinning. Teinaava laughed a bit. Kira glared up at Lucien.

"Oh shut up Lucien." She said before grabbing his arm and walking off quickly towards Vicente's room.

"Are they a couple?" Marie asked Teinaava.

"I think so. Guessing by how threatening Vicente has seemed around Lucien I'd say yes, they're a couple." The Argonian explained.

_Great, my job just got a lot more complicated. _Marie thought to herself.

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"Hey Vicente, I'm back!" Kira said as she walked into his room. Lucien followed behind her.

"Kira, I'm so glad you're back. But where is Rain?" Vicente looked up from some papers questioningly.

"Oh yeah…she said she's gonna stay in Bruma for a while longer. I'm not really sure when she'll be back. But she's happy there and she'll be sure to keep in touch. Don't worry." Kira explained.

"And you're sure she's safe there?" Vicente asked.

"Yeah. She made a lot of friends there who will take care of her. Plus she's grown up a lot over the last year. She'll be just fine." Kira said. Vicente nodded.

"Well then, it's wonderful to have you back Kira." He said after a moment. Kira yawned at looked at Lucien.

"Uh…we've got something to take care of. We should be back tomorrow." Lucien said. Vicente seemed to look at them oddly but nodded and Kira and Lucien left the Sanctuary quickly. They headed for Fort Farragut.

A while later they were walking quickly up to the giant tree near the ruined remains of Fort Farragut. Lucien opened up a hidden trapped door where the tree was hollowed out and jumped down through with Kira close behind. Lucien quickly lit several of the torches in the large room. Kira looked around curiously.

"It's not much but it works for me." Lucien said after a moment. Kira smiled at him.

"I like it but it's kinda cold, don't you think?" She shivered. Lucien grinned at her.

"Don't worry. I'll keep you warm." He said, still grinning. Lucien pulled Kira over to his bed and started to kiss her.

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_The next day…_

"Hey Rain, I'm here! Are you awake yet?" William asked as he walked into her house. He walked downstairs and knocked on her bedroom door. He heard her groan.

"It's too early." She mumbled.

"C'mon, this is the only time I have all day to test out your potion." William said through the door. He heard Rain groan again and get up.

"Give me a couple minutes." She said sleepily. William walked back upstairs and sat down. A minute later Rain walked sluggishly back upstairs and yawned.

"Alright, let's get started. I'll give you a small bit of the potion to see how it works. The effects should only last for a few minutes." She said. William nodded. Rain looked through a cabinet and finally pulled out her Love Potion. She handed it to William who drank just a little bit.

"So is it working?" She asked. William just stared blankly at her before smiling just a little bit. He looked a little dazed and his pupils were larger than normal.

"Hello, William are you there?" Rain waved a hand in front of his face. William grabbed her hand and held it in both of his for a while. Rain looked around uncomfortably. Suddenly William snapped out of it.

"Whoa…yeah it works. And I'm never taking that again. I feel like I was just on scooma!" He said finally. Rain laughed.

"Good, that means it's just perfect. I'll get Lars and Meredith to try it out later tonight." She said.

"Alright, well I've gotta go. But I'll stop by the tavern tonight to see how it all goes. See you later Rain." William kissed her on the cheek and left. Rain blushed and then went back to bed, still very tired.

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Kira yawned and tried to remember where she was. She opened her eyes to almost complete darkness except for one candle on a nearby table. She slowly became aware of the fact that someone had their arms wrapped around her. Kira's first instinct was to shove them away and jump out of the bed. But she noticed the tattoo of a black hand on the person's upper arm. It was Lucien.

"Lucien, wake up." She said, turning to face him. He groaned and opened one eye lazily.

"Five more minutes." He pleaded. Kira rolled her eyes at him.

"Oh come on. I don't just wanna hang around here all day. I want to get back to the Sanctuary and start on new contracts again." She said. Lucien finally opened both eyes.

"You don't have to do that. You can just be my Silencer and take contracts from me." He said sleepily.

"Seriously?" Kira asked.

"Mm-hmm."

"What happened to your last Silencer? That weird Dark Elf guy?" Kira asked.

"He was killed during a contract." Lucien said simply.

"Well, I suppose it wouldn't be too bad if I was your Silencer." Lucien rolled his eyes at Kira.

"Hurray, now you can be my Silencer." He said sarcastically.

"What? No epic and dramatic speech on how special this is?" Kira asked.

"I'm too tired for epic and dramatic speeches. Try again in four hours." Lucien closed his eyes and began to snore lightly. Kira smirked before falling asleep herself.

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Rain walked happily over to where William was sitting in the tavern. She had just tried out her love potion on Lars and Meredith. It had been a success.

"Hey, Rain. How'd the whole love potion thing go?" William asked.

"It went great. I'm sure Lars and Meredith will end up together." She said happily.

"Don't you think it'd be better if you didn't mess with people's love lives?" William grinned at her.

"Those two wouldn't have a love life now if not for me. Don't judge me." Rain pretended to be insulted.

"Hey Rain, there was something I wanted to ask you." William said uncertainly.

"Sure, William. What is it?"

"Uh…I was wondering if you would want to start courting with me." William asked quickly. Rain blushed.

"Yeah…I'd like that." She said. William relaxed a bit and smiled at her. Suddenly Rain leaned forward to kiss him on the cheek before quickly walking out of the tavern, blushing. William smiled and shook his head.

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Woo, it took like three days to write all this.

And of course right now everything is just a bowl of fancy assorted cashews for just about everyone!

Sorry, we need to stop watching "SpongeBob."

But it won't be all sunshine and unicorns forever!


	9. Chapter 9

Raised in the Shadows

Disclaimer:…(sits there awkwardly for a second, sniffs armpit) Yeah, we still don't own it.

A/N: Thank you so much for the reviews. And don't worry; Vicente shall find love soon enough. Be patient!

456

_Two years later…_

Kira jumped quickly out of the way as the vampire charged at her. Her sword had been knocked to the other side of the room and under a bench. She had no other weapons. Lucien was trying to break free of a paralysis spell the vampire had used on him.

The vampire growled and turned to face her again. Its eyes were glowing a bright and its fangs were bared. It slashed its hand at Kira who moved away quickly. Kira moved closer swiftly and punched at the vampire. She tried her best but the vampire was strong.

It snarled and knocked her to the ground. It hovered over her with its fangs bared. Suddenly Lucien charged forward and tackled the vampire. They rolled away and landed in a tangled heap. Kira got up quickly. The vampire dragged Lucien to his feet and tossed him across the room.

It knocked Kira to the ground again and hovered over her. Its fangs were centimeters from her neck. It snarled again. Kira closed her eyes and gulped. She opened her eyes again.

"What? Why are you giving me that look?" She raised one eyebrow.

"You actually thought I was going to bite you." Vicente said.

"No I didn't!" Kira said. Vicente stood up and helped her to her feet. Lucien groaned and sat up, rubbing the back of his head.

"Yes you did. You looked terrified." Vicente laughed a bit.

"I know you'd never bite me, Vicente. I'm insulted you think I'd think that." Kira tilted her head and looked at him.

"I'm insulted you'd think I'd bite you." Vicente looked away, pretending to sound insulted.

"I did not think that!" Kira practically growled. Vicente smiled at her and ruffled her hair. He walked over to Lucien and gripped his arm and not so subtly yanked him to his feet. Lucien walked quickly to stand on the other side of Kira. Kira shook her head and laughed a bit.

"Hey Vicente, if your skilled enough to beat the two of us together, how come you're not a Speaker or even the Listener yourself?" Kira asked.

"Because I have always made it known to the Black Hand that I don't want to be a Speaker. I find my talents are put to better use in the Sanctuary then for the Black Hand." Vicente replied. Suddenly Jet ran into the room.

"Hey guys, Rain's back!" He said excitedly. Everyone rushed from the room but of course Vicente still managed to look proper and _fancy _while rushing out. They hurried into the front room where Rain was talking happily to Ocheeva.

"Rain, what the hell took you so long to come back?!" Kira yelled. She hugged her sister quickly.

"I've got some explaining to do, don't I?" Rain asked after she hugged Vicente. Truthfully, she was afraid to hug Lucien in fear that either he or Kira would attack her.

"Yes, you have explaining to do!" Kira said.

"But that can wait until later. I'm sure you're tired. You should rest." Ocheeva said.

"It is a rather long journey from Bruma." Vicente added.

"I am tired. But I have my own house here in Cheydinhal now. I will rest there. I wanted to speak to Kira privately first. If you'll excuse us." Rain grabbed Kira's elbow and dragged her all the way to Kira's room.

"What is it?" Kira asked.

"William asked me to marry him!" Rain said excitedly. Kira grinned at her sister.

"Rain that's wonderful. When's the wedding?" Kira asked.

"In a week. We are going to get married during the full moon outside. Oh Kira, I'm so happy." Rain grinned. Kira smiled back at her but then grew serious.

"Does William know about the Dark Brotherhood?" She asked.

"Not yet. I promised you I'd only tell him if I was sure he could be trusted. I'll tell him tomorrow when he gets here from Bruma." Rain said.

"Alright, but be careful about it. I'm sure it'll be a shock." Kira said.

"I know, I know. I'm just so happy and excited about everything. But I don't know anything about how you've been doing. What have you and Lucien been up to?" Rain raised her eyebrows. Kira grinned.

"Things are wonderful between me and Lucien. I'm his Silencer so I take contracts only from him and travel with him on most of his duties for the Black Hand. We should go and tell everyone your wonderful news. And you have to meet the new members; Antoinetta Marie, Telaendril and Kaylee." Kira said.

"I want to wait to tell everyone. Could you tell them after I go home? But I will meet the new members." Rain said. Kira nodded and led her back into the main room. She introduced Rain to Marie and Telaendril. Rain was delighted that Telaendril was an Elf like her, even if she was a different kind. She thought Marie looked at her oddly but shrugged it off.

"Hey Vicente, where'd Kaylee go off to?" Kira asked.

"I believe she's out feeding at the moment. She should return soon." Vicente said.

"Wait; 'out feeding?' She's a vampire?" Rain asked.

"Yeah, Lucien and I found her near Bravil about a year ago. She's pretty tough. We watched her slaughter a group of four or five guards at once." Kira said. They heard the entrance door open and an Imperial vampire walked in. She had short black hair and was a little shorter than Kira.

"Hey Kaylee, this is my sister Rain. She's been living in Bruma for the past two years." Kira said.

"Well hello Rain. It's nice to meet you." Kaylee said. (For comic relief you can be like us and imagine Kaylee with a heavy Texan or British accent.)

"It's nice to meet you too. Now if you all don't mind I'm very tired. I'm going to go to my house. But I'll stop by tomorrow." Rain walked out of the Sanctuary.

"She seemed to be in a very good mood. Kira, is something going on?" Vicente asked. Kira gulped. Vicente was the last person she wanted to tell.

"Uh yeah…Rain's getting married." Kira said. She thought she something flash in Vicente's eyes but she couldn't tell.

"That's wonderful. Do you know the man she's marrying?" Vicente asked.

"His name is William. We met him in Bruma. He's an alchemist. The wedding is in one week, during the full moon." Kira said. Vicente smiled lightly.

"Well, if you'll both excuse me there is some work I need to take care of." Vicente walked away to his room. Kira turned to Kaylee.

"Would you mind telling everyone else the news about Rain? I need to find Lucien and leave. I'm not feeling well all of a sudden." Kira said. Kaylee nodded and walked away.

"Hmm, now where did Lucien go?" Kira looked around. She walked into the main room of the living quarters to find him eating an apple.

"C'mon Lucien, we're leaving." Kira grabbed his hand and tried to drag him away.

"But I'm hungry." He said simply. Kira glared at him.

"Isaac Lucien Lachance, we are leaving. I don't feel good." Kira said. Jet, who was sitting next to Lucien, looked up surprised.

"Your first name isn't really Lucien? It's _Isaac?"_ Jet looked like he might die right there. Lucien sighed.

"Yes, Isaac is my real first name."

"I don't know if I can deal with this man. It thought you and I were brothers! We tell each other everything! But you've been lying to me the whole time! What if my whole life is a lie? What if Vicente's name isn't really Vicente? What if it's really Copernicus Flapdoodle McGiggles?! What if my name isn't really Jet?" Jet was panicking and waving his hands around.

"You're name isn't really Jet. You refuse to tell anyone what your name really is." Lucien said calmly. Jet continued to panic and grabbed the front of Lucien's shirt, shaking him.

"Why didn't you tell me?!" He practically sobbed. Lucien punched Jet.

"Alright, let's go." Lucien grabbed Kira and left the Sanctuary.

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_The next day…_

Lucien stood under a waterfall, trying to wash off all of the dirt and blood stains from his body and clothes. He was wearing only an old pair of black shorts. He tried to scrub a blood stain off of his abs. It just refused to come off. Finally he cleaned it off and walked up the hill to Fort Farragut. He climbed the ladder down into the main chamber. Kira was lying in the bed, curled up in a ball.

"Hey Kira, are you feeling any better?" Lucien asked as he used a spell to dry off. He started to pull on a shirt and some pants

"No, I feel horrible. I've vomited two times." Kira said. She was trying to count the days in her head. She was at least five days late. She groaned. Lucien walked over to her. He felt her forehead.

"At least you don't have a fever. Come on, let's go down to the Sanctuary and have Telaendril check you out." Lucien helped Kira get up and they left for the Sanctuary. At the Sanctuary they found Telaendril who agreed to examine Kira but Lucien had to wait outside the room.

"Hmm, here Kira drink this potion and tell me if it makes you feel any better, any worse, or the same." Telaendril handed Kira a blue potion. Kira drank it and waited a moment.

"I don't feel any different. What does that mean?" Kira asked. Telaendril smiled at her.

"You're pregnant sister." She said. Kira stared in shock for a moment and then smiled a bit.

"I'm pregnant." She said.

"Would you like me to get Lucien for you?" Telaendril asked. Kira nodded and Telaendril brought Lucien in.

"I'll leave you two alone." She said and left.

"Are you alright Kira?" Lucien asked. Kira smiled at him.

"Lucien…I'm pregnant." She said. Lucien stared down at her. He gave a weak laugh and grinned at her.

"You're pregnant." He repeated. He leaned down and kissed Kira.

"You're not at all worried about this? You're happy?" Kira asked worriedly.

"Of course I'm happy. I'm not going to be like my deadbeat father." He smiled down at Kira. She kissed him again.

"Come on, we should go tell Vicente." Kira said after a moment. Lucien now had a pained expression on his face.

"I'm afraid of what he's going to do to me…" Lucien said worriedly. Kira laughed.

"He's not going to hurt you. Relax, Lucien." Kira almost dragged Lucien down to Vicente's room. Vicente, as usual, was sitting at his table, looking over several contracts.

"Hello Kira, is something going on?" Vicente asked, taking in her excited expression.

"Vicente, I'm pregnant." She said happily. Vicente smiled and stood up to hug her.

"That's wonderful Kira, congratulations. Only one thing though." Vicente said seriously.

"What?" Kira asked.

"You child may not call me grandpa. I will not stand for that." The vampire said. Kira laughed a bit.

"Alright, we won't let our child call you grandpa." Kira said. Vicente smiled at her and Lucien both.

"We should go tell Rain. We'll be back in the Sanctuary later today or tomorrow." Kira said. Vicente nodded and Kira and Lucien left the Sanctuary for where Rain said her house was.

Rain answered when they knocked. She looked rather surprised.

"What are you two doing in here?" She asked.

"We've got some good news." Kira said. Rain led them to her living room and they all sat down.

"I'm pregnant." Kira said happily. Rain practically squealed with joy. Lucien just kind of sat there. For once in his life Lucien was completely oblivious to the world around him. He was honestly afraid to witness a girly squealing moment between Kira and Rain.

"That's so great Kira!" Rain sat back and thought for a moment.

"You two aren't married, right?" She asked. Kira and Lucien turned to look at each other.

"No, we're not married." Kira said.

"I have a deep hatred for priests and monks and all that. We're happy just the way we are." Lucien shrugged. Rain smiled and rolled her eyes a bit. They heard the front door open and William walked in.

"Hey Rain, I'm here!" He said happily. Rain smiled.

"We're in the living room." She shouted back. William walked in.

"Hey, William." Kira waved. William smiled at her and then looked oddly at Lucien who was giving William his best official Speaker for the Black Hand look. William was somewhat afraid and sat down next to Rain.

"William this is Lucien, he's Kira's….uh….What is Lucien to you Kira? You're not married but boyfriend doesn't sound right." Rain asked. Kira raised her eyebrows and looked at Lucien.

"I don't know. He's just…Lucien. He's never been anything else. He's just…mine I guess." Kira shrugged.

"When did I suddenly become a possession?" Lucien asked.

"When were you ever not a possession? You have no free will Lucien." Kira pointed out. Lucien simply glared at her and Rain laughed.

"Well, we should probably leave. I want to celebrate with Kira." Lucien said, standing up. He and Kira left quickly for Fort Farragut.

"What are they celebrating?" William asked after kissing Rain quickly.

"Kira's pregnant." Rain said.

"And she's with that Lucien guy? He doesn't seem like the father type to me." William said.

"Oh you'd be surprised what Lucien can be like when no one else is around except Kira. I'm sure he'll be a great father." Rain said. William smiled at Rain.

"If you say so. Well we should plan the wedding. Have you found a priest to do the ceremony?" He asked.

"Yes I have. And I've already got my dress picked out." Rain said.

"Well then all we need is the guest list. I don't have any family or really close friends so all that we need is whoever you want to be there." William said.

"All I need is Kira, Lucien and Vicente." Rain said.

"Who's Vicente?"

"He's the man who has practically raised Kira and me our whole lives. And uh we need to talk about him actually." Rain said nervously.

"Why?" William asked.

"Vicente is a vampire. You don't have any problem with that do you?" Rain asked.

"If he raised you then he's perfectly fine in my book." William said. Rain smiled.

"That's not all. I've got to explain something about Kira and Lucien and Vicente and everyone else I've grown up around…Have you ever heard of the Dark Brotherhood?" Rain asked. William stared at her.

"They're assassins, aren't they?"

"Yes." Rain quickly explained to William everything about her past. From the time when her and Kira's parents were murdered right up to their lives in the Dark Brotherhood. Once she finished she stared at William nervously.

"Wow, that's a lot to take in. But…you're not officially one of them, right?" He asked.

"No, I don't take contracts. I was just raised there. They're my family William, you've got to understand that." Rain said.

"I do. But please don't judge me when I say that I never want to meet them or know any more of the secrets. I love you and that's enough for me. We won't worry about the Dark Brotherhood at all." William said. Rain smiled.

"Thank you for understanding." Rain said. William nodded and smiled at her.

"Come on, it's getting late. We should get to bed." William smirked at Rain. Together they walked upstairs to her bedroom.

456

_That night..._

"Do you think we'll have a boy or a girl?" Kira asked Lucien as they lay in bed together. Lucien's expression grew dark with an old memory.

"I hope it's a girl. Then she would have to learn the most important things in life from you. I didn't have the greatest dad." Lucien said darkly. Kira rolled onto her side and looked at him.

"What did you father do, Lucien?" She asked. Lucien sighed.

"He was an abusive drunk who was always on scooma. My mother died because of him." He said.

"Oh Lucien, that's horrible. Do you know what happened to him?" Kira asked.

"I killed him. On my 15th birthday I tracked him down. He was living in Skingrad." Lucien tightened his grip around Kira's waist.

"Well, I'm sure you won't be like that. Don't worry, Luke." Kira kissed Lucien. He sighed.

"I know. Don't let it bother you Kira. Just be happy. We're having a baby." Lucien grinned at Kira. She kissed him again.

456

_One week later, the night of the wedding…_

"I'm so nervous." Rain said as she looked in the mirror at herself wearing her wedding dress. Kira sighed.

"You have nothing to be worried about."

"You look beautiful." Vicente added. Rain smiled.

"Thank you, Vicente. And I know I have nothing to be worried about." Rain said.

"You're just overly excited is all. Everyone is like that on their wedding." Vicente said.

"Do you remember your wedding Vicente?" Kira asked.

"Of course I remember. It was one of the happiest days of my long life."

"Were you as nervous as me?" Rain asked hopefully.

"Oh yes, I was terrified. Wedding days are always harder on the man than the woman. Just relax Rain." Vicente stood behind Rain, his reflection just barely visible.

"Hey Vicente, how come it's almost impossible to see you in a mirror? I thought that was just a myth about vampires." Rain asked.

"It's really not a myth. It just takes centuries for it to take affect. When I first became a vampire I could see myself in mirrors as if I was a normal person. I've never been able to figure out why." Vicente said. Suddenly the door to Rain's room opened.

"Alright Rain, time to go." Lucien said.

"You make it sound like I'm going to be executed. What did you just talk to William about?" Rain asked suspiciously.

"I was just warning him about how painful life is when the woman you live with becomes pregnant." Lucien said. Kira had just started having odd cravings and severe mood swings though he wasn't sure whether Kira was really suffering from these symptoms or just torturing him. Kira punched Lucien's arm.

"If you'll excuse me, I must go speak with William now." Vicente said.

"Please don't scare him, Vicente." Rain begged.

"No promises." Vicente said before walking out of the room. Rain stared fearfully after the vampire.

"William, will be fine right?" Rain asked.

"If Vicente says to William whatever it was he said to Lucien years ago then I'd be very worried." Kira said.

"Vicente has a very colorful vocabulary when he threatens people." Lucien said, remembering that horrible day. They all waited nervously. Finally Vicente walked back into the Rain.

"Well let's go. It's dark out and the moon is full. Time to get married, Rain." Vicente said.

456

Yes, things are still a bowl of fancy assorted cashews.

But you will always find that one cashew that tastes BAD.

That's the next chapter.

If you want to you can guess what will happen but I doubt you'll get it right.

Muahahaha.

Review because Wantaco79 feels sick and wants to get better.


	10. Chapter 10

Raised in the Shadows

Disclaimer: Unfortunately we don't own it.

A/N: Yeah this chapter is kinda sad and stuff. And right now it's just Wantaco79. (Looks around.) I don't know where Gaaraxocfan is. I think she's visiting like a family friend. I'm feeling better but this chapter might not be as long or as planned out as the others but…enjoy I guess.

456

Just as everyone was going to leave the room and walk to where the wedding would be Jet walked in. He was in his shrouded armor and looked ready to fight.

"Hey sorry to just barge in guys. I just wanna say congratulations Rain. I'm headed for a contract right now." He explained.

"Thank you, Jet. We were just on our way right now." Rain said.

"I thought you were supposed to leave for this contract an hour ago." Lucien said.

"Well excuse me, _Isaac. _I had to stock up on supplies." Jet said. Rain looked at Lucien with one eyebrow raised.

"Isaac?" She asked. Lucien groaned.

"Isaac is Lucien's first name." Vicente said. Rain shrugged.

"Well any way I'll see you all in about a week. See ya." Jet then quickly left the room and ran down the street.

"Well then, let's get going already. William should be waiting with the priest in the forest clearing." Kira said impatiently. Together the four of them left Rain's house and walked out of the city gates. They walked for a little while in the forest until they came to a beautiful clearing.

In the center of the clearing stood a nervous looking William and an elderly priest. William instantly smiled when he saw Rain. She looked beautiful in her white wedding dress. Rain and her little family walked over to William and the priest. Lucien stayed back a bit to lean against the tree. He was as far away as he could get from the priest with out seeming impolite or uncaring. Kira stood next to Rain with Vicente, who had his face hidden beneath a hood, standing behind her.

The priest began the ceremony. It was fairly traditional and simple. Rain thought it couldn't be more perfect. Throughout the whole ceremony Lucien felt nervous, like they were being watched. It wasn't quite sure what could be going on but he discretely reached into his left sleeve for a hidden silver short sword. Finally the priest got to the most important part.

"William, do you take this woman to be your wife?" He asked.

"I do." William said. He slipped a ring onto Rain's finger.

"Rain, do you take this man to be your husband?"

"I wouldn't be here if I didn't." She said, smiling. Rain placed a ring on William's finger. Vicente thought he heard a sound in the trees. He glanced at Lucien and knew the Speaker heard something too. Kira shivered.

"I now pronounce you husband and…" The priest was interrupted. The large beast charged out of the trees, growling and snarling. It charged a William, its jaws open and ready to bite.

"By the Nine, what is that!?" The priest shouted, stumbling back quickly. Before anyone else could move or even blink Vicente charged forward and knocked the beast away, into a tree. Kira and Lucien instantly pulled out swords.

"It's a werewolf." Vicente said in disbelief. Everyone looked at him.

"I thought they went extinct at least 100 years ago." Kira said.

"They still exist in Morrowind. It must have wandered here as a normal human and then transformed with the full moon." William said darkly. The werewolf charged back through the trees. This time it was headed for Vicente. Vicente quickly dodged the wolf's attack but it changed course and bit the priest. The elderly man screamed as he was dragged into the forest. A moment later there was silence.

"Oh my god." Rain whimpered. William put an arm around her. Vicente, Lucien and Kira formed a triangle around them with Vicente facing where the werewolf had last disappeared.

"Hey Vicente, do you have a weapon?" Lucien asked.

"I don't need one. Vampires are superior to werewolves." Vicente growled with his fangs bared and took an offensive stance. The wolf charged from the trees at Kira. She waited until the last second to step out of its way and slice at the beast. It howled in pain as a cut was made in its side. But it continued to charge. It went straight for William's leg.

William yelled when he felt the monster's teeth sink into his leg. The werewolf began to drag William away. It yelped when Vicente gripped its sides and threw it into a tree. William fell to the ground with a thud. The pain from his leg was incredible. He could feel something burning through his veins.

"William!" Rain quickly dropped to her knees beside him. The werewolf slowly got to its feet and snarled at Vicente. Vicente growled back, his red eyes glinting dangerously. Lucien moved to stand next to the vampire with his sword ready. Kira kneeled down on the other side of William.

"Stay back Rain. Let me try to heal his wound." Kira said, trying to calm her sister. Rain just sat there and sobbed, staring down at the bite marks in William's leg. Kira practically growled herself and went to work on William.

The werewolf lunged forward and Lucien. Lucien moved swiftly out of the way and sliced at its side. The werewolf dodged his sword and rammed into Lucien who fell to the ground. It bared its teeth, ready to sink them into Lucien's throat. Vicente growled again and knocked the beast away.

The werewolf stumbled back a bit but then rushed at Vicente. It sank its teeth into Vicente's arm. Vicente grunted and tried to his arm away while kicking at the monster. Suddenly there was a flash of blue light as someone cast a shock spell. The werewolf yelped and then fell limply to the ground.

Vicente panted and took a few steps backwards from the dead beast. Lucien stood up slowly.

"Did you cast that spell?" Lucien asked. Vicente shook his head. Kira was too busy trying to help William to cast it and Rain was in no state to do anything. Someone stepped out of the shadows.

"I cast the spell." A man said. He was a tall man with short brown hair. He had several silver weapons strapped to his back.

"Who the hell are you?" Lucien asked.

"My name is Malf, I'm a werewolf hunter. I've been tracking this beast for months out of Morrowind. I'm sorry he found you all." Malf said.

"Hey idiots, stop standing around and help me save William!" Kira yelled. The three men all rushed over to William. He was groaning faintly and rolling his head back and forth. Kira was attempting to heal the bite in his leg. Rain was sitting off to the side, sobbing.

"Well then, if you're a werewolf hunter Malf, what should we do about him?" Lucien asked.

"Well he should definitely be taken to a safer spot inside. I suggest giving him mandrake root to prevent him from becoming a werewolf himself. You should do the same sir." Malf said looking at Vicente.

"Oh don't worry about me. The werewolf's curse will have no effect on me. Kira and Lucien, do you two think you can get William to Rain's house? I'm afraid I can't move my left arm at the moment." Vicente said. Kira and Lucien nodded and started to pick up William who was now unconscious.

"I'll give you all a hand." Malf said. The three of them walked away slowly carrying William. Rain stayed on the ground. Vicente kneeled next to her, being very careful of his arm.

"Come on Rain. We need to go with them." Vicente said soothingly. Rain looked up at him.

"But William is…" She said blankly. She couldn't deal with what was happening.

"Lucien and Kira will take care of him. Don't you worry. But William will want you to be there when he wakes up later. You have to come with us." Vicente said. Rain nodded and stood up with Vicente's help. He placed his right arm around her shoulders and with his left arm held close to his body he led Rain back into town.

456

"We should set him down in the guest room upstairs." Kira said, leading the way. She, Lucien and Malf set William down slowly on the bed.

"Do you have any healing potions and mandrake root?" Malf asked.

"Rain should have some in her alchemy room. I'll grab some. Lucien, go grab some bandages and a wet cloth." Kira said.

"I will stay here and watch over the boy." Malf said. Kira and Lucien left and returned shortly with the needed supplies.

"How else can we help?" Kira asked.

"You should go take care of yourself, Vicente and Rain." Lucien said.

"Lucien, I'm fine." Kira said.

"I know you're fine. But Vicente and Rain will need you. Plus I don't want you near werewolf venom while you're pregnant." Lucien said seriously. Lucien gave her a look that said "I'm the Black Hand Speaker, you're just the Silencer. Get going." Kira sighed and left.

_I hate it when he gives me that look. _Kira thought. She walked downstairs to find Vicente laying Rain down on the couch.

"Did she pass out?" Kira asked.

"I had to knock her unconscious. She shouldn't have to go through this." Vicente said.

"Come into the other room Vicente. I need to bandage your arm and any other injuries." Kira said. They walked into Rain's alchemy room. Vicente sat down on a chair and pulled off his bloody shirt while Kira looked through the cupboards for more bandages. When she turned around it was hard not to gasp.

She had honestly never seen Vicente with his shirt off before. Yes he was rather nice to look at but that's not what caught her eye. It was all the scars. There were several scars of all kinds on his chest and probably on his back too. One deep scar stood out. It looked as if he had been cut by a flame enchanted sword. And on his neck there was two little bite marks that had turned him into a vampire. Kira gulped and sat down next to him.

"Let me see your arm." She said. Vicente allowed Kira to bandage up his left arm. The bite marks were pretty deep and would definitely leave a series of nasty scars to add to Vicente's collection. While Kira bandaged his arm, Vicente turned away a bit so he would be more comfortable and she could work easier. Kira almost had to pry her eyes away so she could keep working.

"That's an interesting tattoo." She said, trying not to look at it. She had never imagined Vicente would have a tattoo. Vicente turned his head to look at the design on his upper arm. The tattoo was almost completely black. It started out looking like a series of flames winding around his elbow but it eventually took shape to look like a dragon head with blood red eyes.

"I had honestly forgotten about that. It's difficult to remember a tattoo when you can barely see yourself in the mirror." Vicente said.

"When did you get it?" Kira asked.

"I think I was 15 or 16 years old at the time." Vicente said after thinking for a moment.

"That's so unfair. I wanted a tattoo when I was 15 but you wouldn't let me get one." Kira said jealously.

"It's not my problem if I was intelligent enough to sneak past my parents to get a tattoo when you weren't." Vicente pointed out.

"Yes but you're parents weren't vampires. You have an unfair advantage when it comes to just about everything." Kira complained. Vicente laughed a bit. He started to cough violently and spit up some blood.

"Vicente, are you all right?" Kira asked worriedly.

"Yes, I'm fine. It's the werewolf venom. Vampires and werewolves are enemies in every sense. Even the werewolf cells will be attacked by my vampire cells." Vicente said when he was done coughing. Kira sighed and looked down.

"So you hate werewolves completely?" She asked.

"I don't hate them personally. But my instincts drive me to fight any werewolf. Is something wrong?" Vicente asked.

"When I was a little kid, before my parents adopted Rain, I had an older brother. His name was Erik. He was at least 10 or 11 years old. I remember one day when we were playing in the woods we were attacked. He was bitten by a werewolf. My parents kept it a secret from the town for months but the townspeople found out. They hunted him down during the full moon and killed him. He had never harmed anyone or did anything." Kira said darkly.

"I'm sorry Kira." Vicente said.

"After that whole incident, even though I was young, I still never feared anything like a vampire or werewolf again. I was able to see beyond the monster everyone else thinks they are." Kira shrugged. She finished bandaging his arm and stood up.

"I want you to drink a health potion before you do anything else." She said, looking through the cupboard again. She grabbed the potion she needed but knocked down another one. The glass broke and cut the palm of her hand.

"Damn." She said, looking at the blood drip. Vicente unwillingly gave a small growl and closed his eyes. He squeezed the edge of the table with his hand.

"Oh I'm sorry Vicente." Kira said, quickly bandaging the cut. Vicente stood up.

"I should go feed quickly. This battle took quite a lot out of me." He said.

"Will you be alright?" Kira asked. Vicente nodded and left quickly.

456

"Oh no. This isn't good." Malf said, looking over William.

"What?" Lucien asked tiredly.

"He's definitely been infected. He'll be a werewolf." Malf said sadly.

"Well that's just fantastic. But other than that he'll live, right?" Lucien said.

"Yes. He didn't lose too much blood. But he will live a cursed life." Malf said. Lucien sighed.

"Do I need to stay up here any longer? I should check on everyone else." He said.

"That'd be fine. I will stay here until morning if none of you mind and then I'll be on my way. There's nothing else I can do." Malf said. Lucien nodded and walked downstairs. Rain was asleep on her couch and Kira was in the dining room staring at her hand.

"How is he?" Kira asked when Lucien sat down next to her.

"He'll live but he's a werewolf now. He and Rain will have to figure out what they'll do every full moon." Lucien sighed. He was very tired. Kira yawned and leaned against Lucien's chest.

"You should go up to the second guest room and sleep." Lucien said.

"I should wait until Vicente gets back so Rain has someone." Kira said.

"I doubt she'll wake up any time soon. Come on, we're going to bed." Lucien actually picked up Kira and carried her to the other guest room.

Vicente returned a little while later, still not wearing a shirt. At this point he no longer cared much. He was tired. This was the first time in decades that he actually wanted to sleep during the night but he was afraid to sleep. This incident reminded him too much of the past.

Every time he closed his eyes he could see the vampire that bit him. He could see his wife and daughter lying dead on the floor before him. He didn't want to sleep and remember that night again. But he was so tired. Vicente sighed and lay back on another couch across from Rain. He fell asleep minutes later.

456

Rain sat up quickly, breathing hard. She closed her eyes and tried to tell herself it was all just a dream. She tried to tell herself that today was her wedding day, not last night. She opened her eyes again, hoping to be in her bedroom. She gasped at what she saw.

There on her couch was Vicente sleeping….without a shirt. He was pretty muscular. His chest was covered in scars and he had a tattoo on his arm. His left arm was bandaged up but still looked kind of bloody. He seemed to be having a nightmare.

Rain got up slowly and kneeled down next to Vicente. She shook him lightly. She needed someone to take her mind off what had happened.

"Vicente, wake up." She said, close to tears. The vampire mumbled a bit more before opening his eyes quickly.

"Oh Rain, are you alright?" He asked, sitting up.

"Please tell me last night didn't happen." She said desperately. Vicente looked at her sadly.

"I wish I could, Rain." He said. She started to sob and buried her face in Vicente's chest. He put his good arm around her.

"Shh, I think he's okay. I didn't get to ask Lucien last now how William was doing. Do you want to go check on him?" Vicente asked. Rain took a deep breath.

"Could you do it? I'm not ready to see him yet." She said. Vicente nodded and walked upstairs. He made it to William's room just as Lucien walked out of the door down the hall, also not wearing a shirt.

"You checking on William?" Lucien asked sleepily.

"Yes, how was he doing last night?" Vicente asked about to enter the room.

"I wouldn't go in there. He's a werewolf now. You'll want to attack him immediately." Lucien warned. Vicente quickly removed his hand from the doorknob.

"But he will live?" He asked. Lucien nodded. Kira, still half asleep, walked out into the hallway. She was somewhat in a daze. When she saw Lucien and Vicente standing there shirtless she couldn't come up with a logical explanation. _Why are there two good looking guys standing shirtless in the hallway? _Was her only thought for a moment. She shook her head and stretched, waking up a bit more.

"What are you two doing?" She asked.

"I was about to check on William." Vicente said.

"I'm hungry." Lucien said simply.

"You're always hungry." Kira pointed out. Lucien just shrugged. Malf walked out of William's room.

"Alright, I've got to leave." He said. He was so exhausted he didn't notice the obvious signs saying Vicente was a vampire.

"William will the fine, correct?" Vicente asked.

"Yes. Of course he's infected and he'll have a nasty scar but if he can keep it a secret he can live a more or less normal life. If you'll excuse me." Malf said. He walked downstairs and left.

"Well, I'll go tell Rain." Vicente said.

"Come one Kira let's go back to bed." Lucien said lazily.

"I thought you were hungry." She said.

"I'm always hungry. But I'm exhausted right now." He led Kira back into the room. Vicente walked downstairs to find Rain waiting nervously on the couch. He sat down next to her.

"Is he okay?" She asked.

"He will live but…he's been infected Rain. William is a werewolf now." Vicente explained slowly. Rain looked at him for a moment.

"Well that's fine. He'll still be alive. That's enough for me." She said happily. Vicente smiled at her.

"I'm happy for you Rain." He said.

"Are you okay, Vicente? You look exhausted." Rain said worriedly.

"My cells are fighting off werewolf venom. It's really wearing me down. I think everyone is tired still." He said.

"Well of course you're all tired. It's probably nine in the morning. You, Kira and Lucien are never awake at this time of day. I think we should both go back to sleep." Rain said. Vicente nodded. Rain went back over to her couch and laid down. Vicente was asleep after a few moments. But Rain was kept awake of what would happen during the next full moon…

456

Okay, whoo…that was actually longer than I thought it would be.

But don't start feeling all happy right now.

There's still a lot more that can go wrong and since I enjoy messing stuff up things probably won't go well!

And thanks for all the reviews.

They did make me feel better.


	11. Chapter 11

Raised in the Shadows

Disclaimer:…..AUGH. We still don't own Oblivion.

A/N: Well I'm not feeling any different from yesterday buuut…I FOUND GAARAXOCFAN! (holds up Gaaraxocfan by ear)

Gaaraxocfan: Augh. Leggo!!

456

_Almost one month later, one day before the full moon…_

Rain worked carefully on an extra strength shielding potion. She and William had everything in place. When he transformed he would be locked in the basement behind a reinforced door with several protection spells and potions. Vicente or Lucien would be at the house in case anything went wrong.

"Hey Rain, do we have any mutton left over?" William asked from the kitchen. He had recently begun to crave any kind of meat. Rain sighed.

"No I don't think so. Why don't you go buy some more?" She yelled. William limped into the room. Despite how serious the bite had been it had healed very quickly due to his new werewolf cells.

"I don't feel like going out and being around people right now." He said. The werewolf venom had also changed his mood a bit. He was still usually in a light-hearted, laid back mood but sometimes he was more anti-social or dark.

"Well I guess I'll buy some tomorrow before we wake you up." Rain said. William nodded. Someone knocked at the door and he went to answer it. Kira and Lucien walked in. They walked straight to Rain's alchemy room.

"Hey guys. Lucien are you gonna be the one who stays here tomorrow night?" Rain asked.

"Yes. Vicente is away for a week on a contract all the way in Vvardenfell." Lucien said.

"And I'll be here too because _someone _is too paranoid to let me stay at our hideout." Kira said, looking accusingly at Lucien.

"I told you, the Black Hand is suspicious of everyone. I don't want to risk someone like Arquen finding the hideout or just seeing you around and going after you." Lucien said seriously.

"Why is the Black Hand suspicious of everyone?" Rain asked, finishing her potion.

"We've discovered there's a traitor among the Dark Brotherhood members. It could be anyone." Kira said.

"And of course I'm one of the top suspects because I'm the youngest person to ever be apart of the Black Hand. They think I told Phillida about what we were planning the night Christine and Azaka were killed." Lucien said angrily.

"What? That's so unfair. You'd never do anything to harm someone in the Dark Brotherhood unless they broke one of the tenets." Rain said.

"Hey, it's a massive group of assassins. You've gotta expect that when something comes up that everyone will be paranoid." Kira pointed out. Together the three walked into the living room and sat down. William was reading a book sitting in a chair.

"Hey what are you guys talking about?" He asked.

"Dark Brotherhood stuff." Rain said simply.

"Well then I'm out of here." William quickly left the room.

"What's the plan for tomorrow night?" Lucien asked.

"The basement has already been cleared out and all the doors are reinforced. We just send William down there, lock the doors and then wait and hope everything goes fine. If it doesn't you need to do something knock him out, Lucien. Please don't kill him." Rain said fearfully.

"I'll do my best." Lucien said.

"Just relax Rain. Everything will go just fine." Kira said. Rain nodded.

"I'm just nervous. So much could go wrong tomorrow." Rain said. Lucien sighed.

"Don't worry. If you worry that something will go wrong, something bad will happen. If you're confident that everything will be fine while still being careful nothing will happen." He said. Rain nodded but she still felt nervous about what would happen the next night.

456

_The next night…_

"Alright William, I'll see you in the morning." Rain said. They were down in her basement. The sun was setting outside.

"Don't worry Rain. Everything will be fine." William smiled and kissed her. Rain tried her best to look confident.

"Alright Rain, you should get back upstairs." Lucien said. Rain pulled herself away from her husband and walked slowly upstairs with Kira.

"So what will you be doing?" William asked Lucien.

"I'll set up all of the spells and lock the doors to this room and wait in the other room. If you manage to break out I'll knock you out and keep you down here." Lucien said.

"You're not worried at all?"

"I've spent my whole life doing dangerous things. I can handle this." Lucien said confidently. He nodded at William and walked into the other room, locking the door behind him. He set up all of the spells and other protections and then sat down in a chair and began to sharpen a dagger lazily.

Kira and Rain walked upstairs and sat down. They sat in awkward silence for a while. Kira threw a dagger up and down several times and Rain attempted to read a book. Finally she spoke up.

"Would you stop throwing that dagger around? You're gonna kill someone!" She said. Kira sighed and put the dagger away.

"Don't be so tense Rain. Everything'll be fine." Kira said.

"I know. But it's just so hard for me." Rain replied.

"Why don't we just talk about something to keep your mind off William?" Kira said. Rain nodded.

"Uh…how is the pregnancy going?" She asked. Kira placed her hand on her slightly rounded stomach.

"Good, but some stuff is hard."

"Like what?" Rain asked.

"I can't stand not being able to drink alcohol!" Kira said desperately. Rain laughed.

"I'm thinking it's probably alcohol that got you into this situation." She said. Kira gave her a look.

"Personally I blame Lucien for the whole situation." Kira said darkly before laughing a bit.

"What are you thinking of naming the baby?" Rain asked.

"If it's a boy I want to name it Erik. If it's a girl I was thinking Asana after our mother." Kira said.

"Does Lucien get a say in the name at all?" Rain asked.

"I _might _let him have a say in the middle name but that's it. It's his fault I'm in this situation." Kira and Rain laughed. They both relaxed a bit and continued to talk about simple things.

456

_A few hours later… _

"I'm so bored." Lucien sighed. Sure he had spent a lot of time doing boring things especially before he was allowed to take contracts. And of course he had spent time in jail where he had nothing to do. But this…this was torture. There was really nothing to do.

Lucien wasn't the kind of guy who liked to sit around and read a book. During the rare occasions that he actually had no duties to fulfill if he was bored he could go and run through the woods, looking for monsters to kill. Down in Rain's basement there was nothing interesting to look at or kill.

All Lucien could do was listening to William as a werewolf run around growling. Occasionally the wolf would come close to the door, sniff out Lucien and try to break the door down. This would soon be followed by a loud crash as one of the spells sent him flying. Lucien's more reckless side almost wanted to let William out and fight with him, he was so bored.

"Give it up, dog. You're not getting past that door." Lucien yelled at William. The werewolf snarled at him and continued to scratch and bark at the door. Lucien sighed. _Stupid dog. _He thought.

Soon there was a loud crash and William whimpered a bit before growling more. The spells had once again sent him flying across the room. Lucien felt like growling himself. Now he knew how Vicente felt when he was in one of his moods. Finally Lucien stared blankly up at the ceiling. His stomach growled.

"Hey Kira!" He yelled upstairs.

"WHAT?!" Kira yelled back angrily.

"Oh, mood swing. Not good." Lucien said to himself. He heard the basement door open and Kira walked down the stairs. She definitely looked angry. _Why does this only happen to me? _Lucien thought sadly.

"What could possibly be so important that you have to yell and make me come all the way down here?! You could've woken up Rain when she just fell asleep!" Kira almost yelled.

"Well…it's just I was hungry…and I didn't want to risk leaving William down here…" Lucien began slowly and carefully. He didn't want to make Kira even angrier. Kira just rolled her eyes.

"I told you; you should've eaten more food earlier." She said. Lucien sighed. He had discovered that at this point it was usually best just to agree with her. Lucien stood up and walked over to stand behind Kira. He wrapped his arms around her.

"You're right. I should've listened to you. I'm sorry I'm such an idiot." Lucien said, kissing Kira's neck and shoulder. She leaned back against him.

"I'm sorry you're such an idiot too." She said. Together they sat down on the couch with Kira leaning back against Lucien, who was still hungry and bored. Kira heard William sniff and growl at the door.

"Doesn't sound like he's having fun." She said.

"Oh trust me; he's probably in a lot of pain by now. He's been thrown across the room so many times in the last few hours." Lucien said.

"I feel bad for him." Kira said. _Of course. She feels bad for the werewolf that won't remember this instead of me who's suffering. _Lucien thought.

"I'm sure he'll be fine. Don't worry." Lucien said.

"I hope so." Kira said. She yawned and leaned her head against Lucien.

"You should go to sleep, Kira. There's nothing exciting going on." Lucien said. Kira nodded and fell asleep in his arms. Lucien sighed again. Now he was bored, hungry and stuck there. This was not his night.

456

_The next day…_

Rain yawned and walked nervously downstairs. She had just woken up and discovered it was already the middle of the day. No one had come to wake her up or anything. When she reached the basement she shook her head.

On her couch was a sleeping Kira and a very bored looking Lucien. He actually looked as if he was going to die of boredom. He looked up when he heard her walk in the room.

"Hello Rain." He sounded exhausted.

"Hey Lucien. Have you checked on William yet?" Rain asked.

"I haven't been able to get up in over seven hours." Lucien said. Rain smiled a bit.

"Well I doubt Kira will mind if you get up to help me check on William." She said.

"I am not getting up until she wakes up. If I wake her up she'll be completely mad and yell at me. She always gets mood swings around the time she wakes up." Lucien said fearfully. Rain rolled her eyes and approached the door slowly. She reached for the doorknob. The door opened before she reached it. Rain gasped.

"Ok, that was definitely not fun." William said tiredly. His clothes had by now been reduced to mere rags. There were several bruises on his chest and arms and a scrape on his left cheek.

"Oh William, I'm sorry." Rain hugged him close. He smiled and kissed her.

"Ew, get a room you two! There is a child present." Lucien said.

"But…Kira won't even have the kid until like 5 or 6 months from now." Rain said.

"So, you're still disgusting me. Take your little love fest back upstairs….and bring me some food Rain. I'm dying." Lucien said while his stomach growled. Rain laughed.

"Alright fine. William, you should go upstairs and rest. Lucien I guess I'll bring you some food." Rain led William upstairs, leaving Lucien still stuck on the couch and afraid to move.

456

_One more month later, a day before the next full moon…_

"Alright Rain, are we ready for tomorrow night?" William asked while they were eating. Rain nodded. She was feeling more confident about it this time.

"Yes, we're all set. I'm sure it'll be fine." Rain said.

"I am not looking forward to this. It's so weird to suddenly feel yourself transform and next thing you know it's the next morning and you're on the ground wearing rags." William shivered.

"I'm sorry William." Rain said, placing her hand on his. They heard someone knock at the front door and let themselves in.

"Hey Rain, William." Kira said, walking in the room with Lucien.

"Hey Lucien are you staying here tomorrow again?" Rain asked.

"No. I actually wish I was though. I have to go see another Speaker. His name is _Bellamont._" Lucien said with disgust.

"I take it you and Bellamont aren't best friends." William said.

"He's a freak. He's always looking at me in such a weird and intense way. It's like he studies my every move." Lucien shuddered.

"He's pretty messed up." Kira said.

"So then will you and Vicente be here tomorrow, Kira?" Rain asked.

"It'll just be Vicente. I'm going to stay at the Sanctuary and help Ocheeva out with some stuff." Kira said. Rain nodded.

"Vicente said he'll be here just as soon as it starts to get dark. He doesn't want to spend a lot of time in the sun." Lucien said.

"Alright then." William said. Kira and Lucien excused themselves and left for the Sanctuary. Rain and William finished dinner and went up to bed.

456

_The next night…_

Rain quickly talked to William, telling him goodnight and all that. Then she closed the door and started to set up all of the charms. She heard Vicente open the door and she ran upstairs.

"Hey Vicente." She said.

"Hello Rain. Did you already take care of everything with William downstairs?" Vicente asked.

"Yeah…it's all taken care of." Rain said, trying to run through a check list in her head.

"Would you rather I stayed downstairs near William or up here?" Vicente asked.

"Actually why don't we both stay down there. I'm sure it'll be better that way." Rain said. Vicente nodded and they walked downstairs.

They both sat down on opposite ends of the couch down there and worked on their own individual projects. Rain worked on an alchemy potion she was trying to improve. Vicente was working on some contracts for the other family members to do. Occasionally they would hear William growl or get thrown back across the room. Rain would always look worriedly at the door. Vicente was just trying to hold back his instincts. He stood up suddenly.

"I should go feed. I'll return shortly." He said and left. Rain shrugged and continued to work on her potion. Suddenly she heard a loud thump against the door. Then another and another….the door opened. The werewolf charged through growling and snarling. Rain gasped and stood up.

William growled at her and slowly advanced. Rain didn't know what to do. She ran upstairs. The werewolf followed.

Rain ran as fast as she could. She hurried upstairs with William right behind her. She was terrified. She continued to run. When she made it upstairs she pushed chairs and tables over to slow down William. He just ripped right through them. Rain ran up to the next floor and into her bedroom. She quickly locked the door and started to block it with her furniture.

She huddled in the corner as she heard the loud thumps of William trying to break in. She could hear him growl and snarl. _I hope Vicente gets back soon._ Rain thought. Suddenly the door was knocked open but William wasn't there. Vicente stood in the doorway.

He had run into the house as soon as he picked up the sound of William and Rain running around. He had attacked the werewolf just as it broke down the door. Vicente growled angrily at William. He couldn't think straight. His instincts were taking over completely and for once he didn't mind.

The werewolf slowly got to his feet and snarled at Vicente. He charged at Vicente and tackled him. Together they fell down the stairs and landed in a heap of sharp claws and teeth.

Vicente was growling just as much as William. His vision had taken on a reddish glow. William's teeth ripped into Vicente's left arm, biting into the still healing scars. Vicente grunted and kicked the werewolf off him.

"Vicente, William stop!!" Rain yelled helplessly. Vicente barely registered her yelling. The werewolf didn't even pause for a second. Vicente threw William to the other side of the living room and stood up. Vicente slowly advanced on William who was trying to get to his feet.

William jumped up at Vicente. Vicente stopped thinking completely. He gripped his hands around the wolf's head. There was a loud crack as he twisted…and William's neck broke. The werewolf fell limply to the floor. Vicente's awareness sank in. He stumbled backwards and sat down.

"Oh my god…William…" Rain sobbed. She fell to her knees next to William. She looked up at Vicente. She wanted to scream and yell at him. She wanted to hit him. She didn't know what to do.

"Rain, I'm so sorry." Vicente said, panting. Rain fell back against him and sobbed into his chest. Vicente wrapped his arms around her.

"I'm so…so sorry." He said.

456

_One week later…_

"What, Rain are you serious?" Kira asked. They were sitting in Kira's old room at the Sanctuary. Rain nodded through her tears.

"I'm pregnant." She said. Kira put one arm around her shoulders.

"Shh, we'll get through this." She said soothingly.

"No. I'm going to leave Kira. I'm gonna go to Skingrad. I'll raise our child there. But I can't stay here right now." Rain cried. Kira looked at her.

"Rain, are you sure that's right?" She asked worriedly.

"I am. I've got to go. I'm leaving in just a little bit." Rain said sadly.

"Alright Rain…please just be careful and stay in touch. If anything happens please come back here." Kira said. Rain nodded and stood up.

"I'm going to talk to Vicente. Is he here?" She asked.

"He is. But he's not doing well. He's angry at himself. I've never seen him like this." Kira said. Rain nodded and walked to Vicente's room. She knocked but there was no reply. She let herself in.

Vicente was laying on the stone slab he called a bed, fast asleep. All of his cuts were bandaged up. He had no shirt on. He looked like he had just returned from war. Rain walked past bits of broken chair to him.

"Vicente, wake up." She said, shaking him lightly. He grumbled a bit and tried to push her away, not fully awake.

"Vicente." Rain said again. He opened his eyes and quickly sat up. He still seemed to be in a daze though and stared blankly at Rain for a moment. When he came to his senses he looked away quickly, feeling ashamed.

"What are you doing here, Rain?" He asked.

"I came to say goodbye. I'm going to Skingrad for a while." Rain said. Vicente nodded.

"I'm sorry Rain." He said.

"Vicente, please stop. It's not your fault. You were trying to save me. I love William. I'll always miss him but please don't destroy yourself over this." Rain said desperately. Vicente looked at Rain.

They looked at each other for a moment. Slowly they leaned in closer to each other. Rain pulled back suddenly. Vicente shook his head as if he was coming out of a daze.

"I'll come back. I promise you. Goodbye Vicente." And then Rain left.

456

Wow that took forever.

And guess what?

Next chapter the time skips start again!

WOOH YEAH! (does a little dance)

Yes it was sad and…well….I'm not sure at this point when it does get happier again…but eh…just be patient.


	12. Chapter 12

Raised in the Shadows

Disclaimer: …..No. We do not own Oblivion.

A/N: Woohoo! More time skips again! Admit it, you missed the time skips.

456

_Six years later…_

The boy ran quickly through the trees, his messy black hair getting in the way of his blue eyes. The wolfhound was right on his heels. The boy continued to run until he reached the fort and dropped down into the trapdoor while the wolf hound took an opening around the back. The boy ran up to the bed and sat on his sleeping father's chest.

"Daaaaaaaaadddddyyy! Wake up! Up, up!" He said, bouncing slightly. His father groaned. The boy reached over and tried to open one of his father's eyes.

"Not now Erik. Go find you mother." Lucien said exhaustedly.

"But Daddy…Up!" Erik said excitedly. Lucien opened one eye and looked at his six year old son. Erik had a stubborn look on his face. Lucien sighed.

"No Erik, go find Mama." Lucien said. Erik groaned but got up and ran out of the room that served as his parents' bedroom. He ran into the main room of Fort Farragut.

His mother was sitting in the other room, with the wolfhound right next to her. She was reading a book silently.

"Mama!" Erik jumped into her lap.

"Hey Erik. Do you need something kiddo?" Kira asked. Their wolfhound, Claw, looked up at the boy before laying her head back down.

"Go see Old Man!" Erik said. Kira laughed at the nick name Lucien had told their son to call Vicente.

"We'll go see him in a little bit." Kira replied.

"Why not now?" Erik asked.

"Just wait for you daddy to get some sleep. Then we'll go. Go run around with Claw some more." Kira said, patting the loyal wolfhound. Before Erik could answer they heard someone knock at the trapdoor above. Kira raised one eyebrow and looked up. No one was supposed to know about Fort Farragut.

"Wait here by Claw, Erik." Kira got up and grabbed a nearby dagger. She climbed quickly up the ladder and opened the trapdoor. She came face to face with…

"Rain! You're back!" Kira said with surprise. There was her sister, grinning at her from above the trapdoor. A young Wood-Elf girl, the same age as Erik, stepped out from behind Rain nervously. The girl had black hair and green eyes.

"Hey Kira. Um…this is my daughter, Cecilia. Honey, this is your Aunt Kira." Rain said. The girl, Cecilia, smiled faintly and then hid behind her mother's leg again.

"Hello Cecilia. Well come in you two." Kira said. She quickly jumped down the ladder. Rain had to calmly help her terrified daughter down the ladder. Erik walked forward next to his mother to see what was going on.

"This is my son, Erik. Erik, this is you Aunt Rain and Cousin Cecilia." Kira explained. Claw got up to stand protectively in front of Erik. Cecilia squealed and tried to hide behind her mother again.

"She doesn't like dogs much." Rain said. Erik looked at his cousin and stepped out in front of Claw.

"Puppy fun." He said, patting the wolfhound. Claw relaxed and sat down next to Erik. Kira kneeled down.

"Don't be afraid Cecilia. Claw won't hurt you. She's trained to protect people." Kira said slowly.

"No doggy!" Cecilia said. Rain looked at Kira and shrugged. Kira laughed a bit.

"Claw." Kira said. She made some hand signals and the wolfhound walked out of the room and into Lucien and Kira's bedroom.

"No doggy!" Cecilia said again. Rain coughed.

"I'm having trouble getting her to talk." She said.

"Have you tried teaching her to say 'Vicente' yet? I don't think he'll go though being called 'Vissy' again. He barely puts up with Erik calling him old man." Kira said. Rain looked down at her daughter.

"Cecilia, say 'Vicente.'" Rain said.

"Vi-vi-vecaltuh." Cecilia tried. Rain sighed. Kira shrugged.

"It's better than you ever got I suppose. Erik, why don't you go run around with Cecilia? Don't leave the fortress and stay away from the guards." Kira said, referring to the areas in the fort where there were several dark skeleton guardians and ghosts. Erik nodded.

"C'mon!" He motioned for Cecilia to follow him. After a look of reassurance from her mother she slowly followed after Erik into another room. Kira and Rain sat down on two chairs.

"So what's with the….vicious dog or whatever?" Rain asked.

"Oh Claw's our wolfhound. She's trained to protect Erik and the fort." Kira explained.

"You're starting to sound paranoid. I thought you, Lucien and all of the weird skeleton things would be enough." Rain looked at Kira.

"It would be enough under normal circumstances. The Black Hand is still searching for whoever the traitor may be. If any of them decide Lucien is the traitor they'll begin to hunt us down. They'll find us eventually." Kira said darkly.

"Does the Black Hand think you could be the traitor too?"

"I don't think so. They don't know about Erik or the relationship I have with Lucien. As far as they're concerned I'm just Lucien's Silencer who does what she's told." Kira shrugged.

"Well then they really don't know you. You practically own Lucien." Rain laughed a bit.

"Actually I do own him now." Kira raised up her hand showing off a simple diamond ring.

"You finally got married to him?!" Rain said happily. Kira grinned and nodded.

"We eloped just before Erik was born."

"Wow, I thought Lucien hated priests." Rain said.

"He does hate them. I don't like priests all that much either so we just got it done quickly. It was nothing fancy." Kira said.

"You killed the priest afterwards didn't you..." Rain said.

"No…." Kira said, looking away shiftily. Rain rolled her eyes. Lucien walked sleepily into the room.

"I'm hungry. We got any food?" He asked, sitting down next to Kira. She gave him a look.

"Rain's back." She said.

"Don't care. Hungry." Lucien yawned. Rain looked insulted.

"What? No 'hey Rain, how have you been the last six years,' or 'it's so nice to see you again, Rain?" She asked.

"Don't care." Lucien said again. He looked expectantly at Kira.

"Oh the joys of matrimony." She sighed. Kira got up, found an apple in their food storage and threw it at Lucien. He caught it and took a big bite out of it. Kira sat back down next to him.

"It's nice to see you haven't changed over the years, Lucien." Rain said.

"Yeah, you'd really think his old age would affect him in some way…." Kira said. Lucien glared at her.

"I'm not old. I'm only 33 years old." He said.

"Which seems really old compared to me. I'm 25 Lucien. Rain's still only 24." Kira pointed out.

"If 33 seems old to you then what about Vicente. Isn't he at least 350 years old?" Lucien asked.

"Vicente's ancient. He's always been ancient and he always will be ancient." Kira said, while Rain laughed. Suddenly Erik and Cecilia ran back into the room. Erik jumped up into his father's lap while Cecilia hid behind Rain's chair from Lucien.

"Daddy!" Erik said happily, jumping slightly.

"No, don't jump on Daddy. It's too early." Lucien yawned. Erik stopped bouncing but reached up for the apple Lucien was eating. Lucien sighed and let his son have a bite.

"Cecilia, don't be afraid. This is your Uncle Lucien. Try to say 'Lucien.'" Rain said, picking up her daughter.

"Lu-lu-louie?" Cecilia tried. Lucien made a face.

"I will not go around being called Louie again. It was cute when I was 13 but its 20 years later now." He said. Kira laughed and then looked down at Cecilia.

"Try to say 'Luke.'" She said.

"L-lu-luck?" Cecilia tried again.

"That's close. Luke." Rain repeated.

"L-luke?" Cecilia finally said. Rain grinned at her. Lucien sighed.

"I'm a Speaker for the Black Hand and now I get to be called 'Luke' again?" He said.

"Deal with it." Rain said.

"Yeah, it could be worse. We could get her to call you 'Uncle Looser.'" Kira laughed. Erik giggled. Lucien sighed but stopped arguing.

"Go see Old Man now?" Erik asked.

"Rain, do you want to go see everyone at the Sanctuary?" Kira asked.

"Yes, that'd be great. I wanted Vicente to start training Cecilia like he trained us when we were kids." Rain said. She stood up with Cecilia. Kira looked at Lucien.

"Are you coming?" She asked.

"No. I'm tired." Lucien said. Kira shook her head, grabbed Erik and led the way out of the fort. Lucien got up and walked back into his bedroom.

"Move out of the way Claw." He said to the wolfhound which was now taking up all the space on the bed. Claw whined but moved away from Lucien, giving him some space. Lucien sighed and fell back asleep.

456

_At the Cheydinhal Sanctuary…_

Vicente sat in his quarters, looking over several contracts. This wasn't one of his favorite duties but it did have its advantages. He was allowed to pick out any contracts that he wanted to do himself. Then he had to see which ones would best suit which family member.

He did enjoy the silence though. But something was telling him it wouldn't last much longer. He sighed and looked up. Kira walked into his room with Erik who immediately ran over to jump into Vicente's lap. Vicente smiled down at the boy.

"Hey Vicente. I've got some good news." Kira said. Vicente looked at her.

"You're not pregnant again are you?" He asked.

"What? Why would you suddenly jump to that conclusion?" She asked.

"Because I know Lucien." Vicente said simply. Kira opened her mouth to say something but then closed it and nodded in agreement.

"So what's the good news?" Vicente asked. Rain stepped out from behind Kira and grinned. Vicente actually looked genuinely surprised.

"I'm back." Rain said simply. Vicente looked at Rain, not quite believing it. She was completely grown up now.

"Rain. I'm glad you're back." He said finally. Cecilia stepped out nervously from behind Rain.

"Hey, who are you?" Vicente asked lightly.

"Old man, she my cousin!" Erik said.

"I'm….Ci-ci." Cecilia said nervously.

"Her name is Cecilia." Rain said. Vicente nodded and smiled at Cecilia. Then he thought of something.

"By Sithis, she's not going to call me 'Vissy' is she?" He asked. Rain and Kira laughed.

"We're not sure yet. She can't really get the hang of your name yet, Vicente." Rain said.

"Vi-v-Viswayduh?" Cecilia tried hopefully. Vicente had a pained expression on his face. Kira and Rain laughed.

"Vicente." Vicente said.

"I don't think she's going to get it any time soon, Vicente." Kira said. She and Rain both sat down across from Vicente. Erik and Cecilia began to chase each other around the room, trying to poke the other.

"Now, before I walked in here did I hear talk of someone being pregnant again?" Rain asked, looking suspiciously at Kira.

"No. I am not pregnant again." Kira said.

"Pwegant?" Erik asked. Kira sighed.

"You see what you two do?" Kira asked. She looked down at her son.

"Don't worry honey, it doesn't mean anything." Kira said. Erik nodded and started to run around with Cecilia again.

"Hey…uh Vicente I was hoping you could start training Cecilia like you did with me and Kira when we were kids." Rain said. Vicente stared thoughtfully at Cecilia.

"I could probably do that. But she needs to build up some confidence. She's awfully shy." He said.

"I know. I'm working on it, okay? Just say you'll start teaching her simple stuff like how to wield light weapons like you did with me." Rain said.

"Don't worry. I'll train her." Vicente said. M'raaj-Dar entered the room.

"There was something I wished to discuss with you, brother." He said before noticing Rain.

"Kitty man!" Cecilia burst out before thinking. M'raaj-Dar glared at Rain.

"I'm guessing the child is yours." He said darkly.

"Uh…sorry M'raaj-Dar. But come on, you gotta admit that you missed me." Rain said.

"Not really." The Khajiit replied. Kira laughed.

"You are so insensitive M'raaj-Dar." Rain said.

"Hey M'raaj-Dar there was something I was needing to discuss with you. Lucien and I are running low on certain scrolls and potions." Kira said, leading M'raaj-Dar out of the room.

"Hey c'mon. Let's go see Jet!" Erik said, trying to get Cecilia to follow him. Rain nodded at her and the two children ran out of the room. Rain got up after a moment and began to search through his cupboards. Vicente stared at her.

"What are you doing?" He asked.

"I'm looking for something. Hey, what are in the red vials?" Rain asked, holding out a red vial.

"Human blood." Vicente said simply. Rain quickly put the vial back. She continued her search.

"What are you looking for?" Vicente asked, walking to stand behind Rain.

"I was looking for this." Rain said, grabbing a vial of poison.

"Don't take my poison. I need that." Vicente said.

"I'm just taking a little bit!" Rain said. Vicente sighed and sat back down.

"What could you possibly need poison for?" He asked.

"I haven't been in my house here for six years. There's bound to be something like rats in it by now. I don't want to have to track all of them down. Poison's much easier." Rain said.

"Fine, take the poison; so long as you get out of here I'm happy. I've got a lot of work to do." Vicente said.

"Thank you. Hey do you mind if I leave Cecilia at the Sanctuary until I get the house cleaned up?" Rain asked.

"No, I don't mind." Vicente said. Rain smiled at him before leaving the room. She found Cecilia and Erik in the main room of the living quarters with Jet.

"Hey Rain! Glad to have you back!" Jet said happily.

"Thanks Jet. Hey Cecilia, I've got something to take care of but I'll be back later, okay? You just stay here with Erik and if you need anything find Vicente." Rain said, kneeling down to her daughter's level. Cecilia nodded. Rain gave her a quick hug before leaving the Sanctuary.

456

Rain walked into her old house for the first time in six years. There were so many painful memories in here but she knew she had to face them. She walked slowly through the dusty main hallway into the living room. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before looking at the living room.

She gasped as the memories came back to her. You could still see signs of the fight between Vicente and William. Rain gasped as she noticed there were still a few blood stains on the floor. You could clearly see where William had bitten into Vicente's arm, sending blood all over one area.

And then there were all of the claw marks on the ground. Each one was a painful reminder that it had been William who attacked first. It almost gave Rain some comfort to know that this hadn't been on purpose. Vicente had never meant to kill William. William had never meant to attack Rain or Vicente. It was just their instincts that made them do it.

_I'm an animal, Rain. There are certain things I just can't control. It's been over 300 years and there are still things I will never be able to control about myself. _Rain recalled Vicente saying once about himself. Rain had insisted that it wasn't true but he had only smiled sadly at her.

Rain kneeled down and placed her hand where there was a clear indent of William's paw. She began to sob. After a few moments she pulled herself together. She would clean up the blood and get rid of most of the claw marks. But she would leave the paw print that she had her hand on right now. One day she would tell Cecilia everything about her father. First of all though she would have to cure her daughter's fear of dogs.

Rain sighed. She tried to bring a picture of William's face to her mind. At first she got a picture of Cecilia, which made her smile. After a moment she started to form a picture of William but it faded away to form someone else's face. Rain shook her head. _Why would his face….?_ She shook her head and started to work on cleaning up her house.

456

_A few hours later…_

Kira climbed down the ladder into Fort Farragut. She stretched before walking into the bedroom. She had left Erik at the Sanctuary since he wanted to play with his new best friend.

"Hey, where's Erik?" Lucien asked from where he was sharpening a dagger.

"He wanted to stay the night at the Sanctuary to play with Cecilia. Vicente said he'll keep an eye on them." Kira said. She lay down on the bed next to where Lucien was sitting. Lucien set down the dagger and repair hammer on the floor. He laid back on his side and looked at Kira.

"Did you tell any of them yet?" He asked, placing a hand on her stomach.

"No, not yet." She said, smiling. Lucien kissed her cheek.

"Why not? You were so happy to tell everyone right away last time." He said.

"This time I just wanna enjoy only you and I knowing about the baby for a little bit. Although I think Vicente is honestly suspicious." Kira laughed lightly.

"Vicente is always suspicious you're pregnant. Ever since we got married he seems suspicious." Lucien chuckled, kissing Kira.

"This time I think he's really figured it out. Vicente's not easy to trick." Kira said. Lucien smirked at her.

"Good, then that means he'll figure it all out and we won't even have to go to the trouble of telling anyone." He said. Lucien leaned in to kiss Kira some more. She chuckled.

"You're such a typical man." She said. Lucien grinned at her.

"You love me." He said simply.

456

_The next night…_

"V-vis-vicet? Wake up!" Cecilia said. Vicente opened one eye.

"Old man, up!" Erik said from his other side.

"No now you two. I'm sleeping." Vicente closed his eye. He heard both of the children whine. Someone walked into the room.

"Cecilia, don't bother Vicente when he sleeps!" Rain said to her daughter.

"Mommy…" Cecilia began.

"No honey. Come on, it's late tonight. You already stayed up too late last night. Time for bed. Come on Erik, you too." Rain said. Cecilia walked over to her mother but Erik wouldn't budge.

"No." He said stubbornly.

"Erik…" Rain said helplessly.

"Don't even try to get him to listen. He's as stubborn as both of his parents. He only listens to them when it comes to this. It's not his bed time anyway." Vicente said sleepily.

"It's at least one in the morning. When does he sleep?" Rain asked.

"I'm pretty sure he's on a schedule to sleep from four in the afternoon to midnight. He's awake almost all night, like Lucien. I have no idea when Kira ever sleeps." Vicente said.

"That's….odd. Come on Erik." Rain tried again.

"No." He said again.

"Erik Seto Lachance you should listen to your aunt." Lucien said from the doorway. Erik looked up at his father.

"Daddy!" He said, quickly jumping up into his father's arms. Lucien shook his head.

"Hey Lucien." Rain said. Lucien nodded at her.

"Why can't you all just get the hell out of my room?" Vicente asked. He didn't enjoy being woken up.

"It's the middle of the night. You're a vampire. You should be awake, stalking people." Lucien said.

"I'm tired. Go away." Vicente said.

"Let's go." Rain said.

"But Mommy, I don't wanna go to bed." Cecilia started to whine.

"Cecilia Wilia Azrael it's time for bed." Rain said seriously. She picked up Cecilia and walked away from Vicente's room with Lucien. Cecilia whined and struggled the whole way to the living quarters.

"Have fun." Lucien said as he walked away with Erik. Rain rolled her eyes. It was nice to see that Lucien's attitude to everyone except Kira hadn't changed.

She put Cecilia to bed and then laid down in her own room. Tomorrow she would be finished with cleaning up her house and she could move Cecilia into it. She heard a knock at the door.

"Come in." Rain said. It was Kaylee, the female vampire who had joined years ago.

"Sorry to bother you. I just wanted to welcome you back while I still had a moment." Kaylee smiled.

"Oh thank you. I'm glad to be back." Rain said.

"Goodnight." Kaylee said before leaving. _There's something off about her…_ Rain thought. _Come to think of it…there's something weird about Antoinetta Marie too…Ugh. I'm just being paranoid. _Rain thought before falling asleep.

456

Yay, another chapter is finished.

Hmm…you'll get to see more of Lucien's father side later.

It's late and Wantaco79 had to work on quadratic functions and equations tonight.

So excuse me if I left something out!

I don't know what Gaaraxocfan did tonight in her spare time.


	13. Chapter 13

Raised in the Shadows

Disclaimer:…we're so poor that all we do for entertainment is play Oblivion and the Legend of Zelda games. We don't own Oblivion.

A/N: WE'RE SO SORRY WE HAVEN'T UPDATED. Please forgive us. We needed breaks…and then the holidays started. We both got a lot cool stuff.

456

_The next day….er…night…_

"Ugh, Shadowmere, don't eat the rat. Horses shouldn't eat rats!" Lucien said, patting his horse. Shadowmere seemed to look at him and consider what he said before chewing on the rat some more. Lucien sighed and he heard someone giggle.

"I know you're there Erik. Come on." Lucien said. Erik walked slowly out from behind a rock with Claw. They were just outside of Cheydinhal where the Dark Brotherhood had their secret stables. Lucien was attempting to care for his horse.

"Hi Daddy. Up!" Erik said lifting up his arms. Lucien smirked down at the boy and lifted him up onto his shoulders. Shadowmere finished devouring the poor rat. Erik giggled at it. _Oh joy, he's already showing signs of being a psychopath. I guess I can count on him being part of the Brotherhood one day._ Lucien thought. There was another sound and Lucien glanced behind the rock.

"Oh, it's you. Come on out kid, I'm not gonna hurt you." Lucien said to Cecilia who was hiding. Cecilia shook her head. Erik jumped off his father's shoulders and walked over to her.

"Come on. Daddy fun!" Erik said, pulling her out from behind the rock. Lucien rolled his eyes. Those two couldn't be more different.

"Come see horsy." Erik said. He pulled his cousin closer to Shadowmere.

"Uh-uh." Cecilia protested.

"Oh come on now. Shadowmere's fun. You got nothing to worry about kid." Lucien said, checking Shadowmere for any cuts or injuries. Erik managed to drag his cousin closer to the horse and let her pet Shadowmere. Lucien picked both of the children up and set them on Shadowmere's back.

"Where's Mama?" Erik asked. Cecilia still seemed a little tense but she was beginning to relax.

"She was tired and is still in bed. Wait…how did you two get out here anyway? I thought you were at the Sanctuary." Lucien asked.

"I can't believe it took you that long to ask, Lulu!" Said a Khajiit. Lucien sighed.

"Uncle J'ga took us here." Erik said.

"Hello J'ghasta." Lucien said to his fellow Speaker. J'ghasta was another member of the Black Hand and actually believed Lucien was not the traitor. They had been friends for a long time but J'ghasta was at least seven years older than Lucien and was fond of calling him "Lulu." He only got away with it because Lucien had lost a bet to him.

"I was stopping by the Sanctuary to see my cousin, M'raaj-Dar and was delighted to find you now have a son, Little Brother! Why didn't you tell me? Who's the mother? It better not be Antoinetta Marie!" J'ghasta said.

"What? Ew. She's weird. She reminds me of Aval's Silencer Bellamont. She's always staring at me like I'm the cause for all the pain and suffering in the world." Lucien said. Erik giggled as Shadowmere snorted and tried to eat Lucien's hair.

"Well then who is the mother?" J'ghasta asked. Lucien sighed. He hadn't really been looking forward to this.

"You remember my Silencer, Kira Azrael? I married her…" Lucien admitted. J'ghasta laughed. _I hate crazy Khajiits. _

"I never would have thought you the type, Lulu! After what happened with that priest back in Kvatch I thought you swore you were never dealing with one ever again!" J'ghasta said.

"Wha' happened?" Erik asked. Lucien cringed at the horrible memory. A picture of an angry and half naked priest chasing him with a black soul gem, a pitchfork, three Imps and a wild boar while J'ghasta was standing on the rooftops laughing his head off flashed through his mind.

"Oh it's nothing, Erik. Daddy just had a bad run in with a very rude priest." Lucien said. J'ghasta chuckled.

"I can't believe I'm witnessing the day where you refer to yourself in third person while talking to a child. I can't wait to tell the rest of the Black Hand!" The Khajiit said.

"No. J'ghasta you can't! The Black Hand can't know about my relationship with Kira or Erik. I don't want them to go after my family." Lucien said seriously.

"Wha's the Black Han?" Cecilia asked.

"Uh…they're kinda like my…uh…" Lucien wasn't sure how to describe it so she would understand.

"The Black Hand is a group of five people that Lulu and I are apart of. Me and the other three people are like Lucien's older brothers and sisters." J'ghasta explained. Cecilia nodded.

"Any way, why are you here, Jag?" Lucien asked turning his attention back to Shadowmere.

"What, I can't just stop by out of the blue to say hello to M'raaj-Dar and bother you, Little Brother?" J'ghasta asked.

"No, you can't. You don't just stop by even if it is to annoy me." Lucien said.

"I need to talk to you brother, and your Silencer. But that can wait until later. For now I want to know about your boy. And later…we must talk details about your wife." J'ghasta waggled his furry eyebrows. Lucien laughed darkly.

"I'm not going to talk about that!" He said.

"Oh yes you are, _Isaac._" J'ghasta said. Lucien rolled his eyes. J'ghasta was definitely like an older brother.

"Fine. But we'll talk later. Not in front of the kids." Lucien said. By now Erik was attempting to get Shadowmere to walk where he wanted her to but she just grazed about. Cecilia looked terrified of falling off.

"Tell me about your son. And why do you have a little Wood Elf girl with you, Lulu?" J'ghasta asked, tilting his head to the side.

"Well the Wood Elf girl is technically my niece. Kira has an adopted Wood Elf sister and that's her daughter. Erik is six years old. I think he takes after Kira more than me." Lucien explained, answering both of J'ghasta's questions. J'ghasta nodded.

"He looks more like you though. Except for his eyes though. I definitely remember your Silencer having the same eyes." J'ghasta said.

"Yeah they have the same…wait…Were you checking out Kira when you met her just after she became my Silencer?!" Lucien asked.

"What? Can you blame me, Lulu? She's very nice to look at!" J'ghasta said in his defense. Lucien almost growled at him.

"Don't be getting any ideas, J'ghasta. She's _mine._" Lucien said fiercely.

"I know, I know! Don't worry. I know not to mess with something that belongs to you. It's clear she's very important to you." J'ghasta said backing up a bit.

"Good." Lucien turned his attention back to Erik and Cecilia who were now running around while Shadowmere rested.

"I should go rest at your Sanctuary. Then I've got a contract. We'll talk later tonight." J'ghasta said before walking off into the shadows. Lucien sighed.

"Now I'm stuck with two kids and a horse that refuses to be normal…." Lucien said.

456

"Hey Vicente, are you awake?" Kaylee asked from outside his closed door. Vicente opened his eyes and stood up.

"Just a moment." He said. He located a shirt that wasn't covered in blood and pulled it on. He opened his door.

"Hello Kaylee. Do you need something?" He asked, still half asleep.

"I just woke up and no one else is around except Gogron and Telaendril and they're both asleep. You're the only other person around." Kaylee said, smiling at him. Vicente managed to smile at her sleepily.

"Alright then. Well I should feed before I do anything else." Vicente said. Kaylee nodded.

"I'll come with you. I should feed too." She said. Vicente nodded and they left the Sanctuary. They stalked silently through the streets of Cheydinhal and broke into a random house. They fed quickly. Kaylee stared at Vicente for a moment. He gave her a questioning look in return.

"Your eyes are blue." She said. (Yes, in Oblivion his eyes were actually blue once on one of my files just after I joined the DB)

"Oh. I had almost forgotten that. They sometimes change back for a few moments after I feed." He said, tempted to go cross eyed to try and see. Kaylee smiled at him a bit before they left quickly. They quickly made their way back to the Sanctuary. When they got there J'ghasta was walking towards the living quarters.

"Ah hello brother." J'ghasta said to Vicente.

"Hello J'ghasta. Are you looking for Lucien?" Vicente asked.

"No. I already found Lulu and talked to him. I got to meet his son and niece. I'm just here to rest before a contract." J'ghasta said simply before walking into the other room. Rain walked up with a questioning look on her face.

"Who was that and why was he dressed exactly like Lucien?" She asked.

"And why did he call Lucien 'Lulu?'" Kaylee asked.

"That was J'ghasta, another Speaker for the Black Hand. I think Lucien lost a bet to him years ago or something so he calls him Lulu. Though I wouldn't advise calling him that yourself." Vicente said.

"What does he do if you call him that?" Rain asked.

"He stabs you." Vicente said simply.

"That's a little…violent, even for a member of the Dark Brotherhood." Kaylee said.

"Lucien is a very violent man. He's always been like that. He's not above attacking another member of the Dark Brotherhood. Technically it's only breaking one of the tenets if you kill them." Vicente said. Suddenly Cecilia ran into the room.

"Hey, I was wondering where you were!" Rain said, picking her up.

"Was with Uncle Luke. He take me here and leave with Erik." Cecilia said.

"Alright. That's good." Rain said, smiling at her.

"I wanna play a game!" Cecilia said excitedly.

"Ok, ok. Vicente, do you know any games?" Rain asked. Vicente thought for a moment.

"I can't think of any games that would be…appropriate with Cecilia around." He said finally. Kaylee chuckled and Rain quickly covered Cecilia's ears.

"Like what kinds of games?" She asked, laughing a bit.

"There's always strip poker…" Vicente said, chuckling a bit. Kaylee and Rain laughed a bit while Cecilia struggled to get away from Rain's grip so she could hear.

"Okay then, remind me to never ask you to play a game every again, Vicente." Rain said, finally letting Cecilia go.

"Play game!" She said.

"I'm sure you could always go hunt down Lucien and Erik again or drop Cecilia off at wherever Kira and Lucien have their hideout." Vicente suggested. Rain nodded.

"I'll go do that. I'll be right back." She said and left with Cecilia. Vicente and Kaylee sat down at a table in the corner of the main room.

"Hey Vicente, there was something I was wondering." Kaylee said after a moment.

"Yes?" Vicente asked.

"The tattoo you have on your arm; I've seen it before. A lot of Daedra worshippers have tattoos like that. Did you ever worship Daedra before joining the Dark Brotherhood?" Kaylee asked. Surprisingly Vicente nodded.

"I spent…uh spent just a few years for Sheogorath and…." Vicente almost looked embarrassed.

"Who else?" Kaylee asked.

"Sanguine." Vicente said finally. Kaylee looked surprised for a second and then smirked at Vicente. She leaned a little closer to Vicente.

"Really now? I would have never guessed…" She kissed Vicente. Part of him, the part of him that was still human, almost wanted to pull back. But the part of him that was a vampire, an animal, didn't want to. He continued to kiss her and pulled her a little closer.

"Vicente I'm back….oh." Rain walked into the room and stopped. Vicente quickly pulled back from Kaylee but Rain was already running out of the Sanctuary.

"Rain…" He said.

"Oh don't worry about her. She's just surprised is all. She'll be fine." Kaylee said, getting Vicente to look at her. She kissed him again. Vicente's vampire side won again…

456

Rain quickly ran from the Sanctuary. She had managed to find Lucien and Erik on the edge of town. She had pushed Cecilia in the direction of Lucien and then just walked off quickly back to the Sanctuary….where she had walked in on Vicente and Kaylee.

She felt crushed and she didn't know why. She ran as quickly as she could to the stables and jumped on her horse. She rode off quickly into the forest, not really knowing where she was going. Eventually she ended up at Fort Farragut. She sighed, tried to wipe away her tears and slowly entered through the trap door.

"Hey, what's going….Rain what's wrong?" Kira asked, taking in her sister's tear-stained face. Rain sat down across from Kira.

"I don't want to talk about it." Rain said stubbornly.

"Rain, just tell me what's going on." Kira said. Rain sighed and looked away.

"It's nothing, really. I just…walked in on…Vicente and…..Kaylee." Rain said, not looking at her sister. Kira looked surprised and sat back slowly.

"Wow….I didn't see that coming." She said.

"I told you it was nothing. I don't know why I'm upset." Rain said, still looking away.

"You like Vicente." Kira said simply. Rain looked up at her.

"No I don't…" She protested weakly.

"You really do. I think you might even love him!" Kira said, raising one eyebrow.

"No I don't. Vicente's a friend. Plus, it doesn't matter any way. He's with Kaylee now." Rain said bitterly.

"Oh come on Rain. Trust me, that won't last very long." Kira said reassuringly.

"You don't get it Kira. They were all over each other." Rain said angrily. Kira sighed.

"Rain…you've gotta understand that Vicente really is more animal than he is man sometimes. With a female vampire so near all the time this was bound to happen. But Vicente really has no control over it. He doesn't really want Kaylee…it's just his instincts." Kira explained slowly.

"I don't care. It's obvious he doesn't think of me that way…" Rain said, looking away again.

"By Sithis Rain, have you never seen the way Vicente looks at you sometimes? He likes you in that way." Kira said.

"Then why hasn't he ever said anything?" Rain asked.

"Well for one; you've been gone for six years. The last time he saw you, you were only 18 years old and trying to get over the death of William, which he blames himself for. Now you're back and Vicente doesn't know what to do. For all he knows you could be really angry at him about William and be planning his death!" Kira said.

"I miss William but I don't blame Vicente for it! He saved my life that night. It's stupid that he would think that." Rain said darkly.

"Well men are stupid." Kira shrugged. Her comment got a small smile out of Rain.

"That's true." She said.

"Now come on. Why don't you go see Vicente and talk to him?" Kira asked.

"No. At least not right now. I don't want to be scarred for life by walking in on them again." Rain said. Kira thought about that for a moment and almost shuddered in disgust.

"That would be scary. Especially since Vicente worshipped Sanguine for a few years." Kira said. Rain looked up at her.

"He worshipped _Sanguine?!_" She asked in disbelief. Kira nodded. Rain burst out laughing.

"Yep. The only thing that scared me more than that was what Lucien had to say when he found out." Kira laughed.

"What did Lucien say about it?"

"He said that since Vicente worshipped Sanguine he must like it really hot and wild." Kira said, imitating Lucien. Rain laughed even more.

"That's scary." She said.

"Now come on. What should we do until you think it'll be safe to go talk to Vicente?" Kira asked.

"I have no idea. What do you and Lucien do when it's just the two of you here?" Rain asked. Kira almost opened her mouth to answer before Rain interrupted her.

"Wait, don't answer that. I don't want to know." She said. Kira grinned at her.

"Why don't I just show you around Fort Farragut so you know where all of the traps are and rooms that will scar you for life?" Kira asked, standing up.

"What could you possibly have in a room that would scar me for life?" Rain asked.

"….Dead bodies….with their hearts ripped out." Kira said. Rain stared at her.

"Why?" She asked after a moment.

"I…I don't know. Lucien says he uses them for Night Mother Rituals. It really makes me worry about his sanity sometimes. I just avoid that area." Kira shrugged. Rain shook her head and followed Kira around for the tour of Fort Farragut.

456

Cecilia was running as fast as her short legs could take her. When Rain had just directed her in the direction of her Uncle Lucien she had snuck off, wanting to play in the woods. Eventually she had found her way to Fort Farragut and had snuck inside, wanting to play with her Aunt Kira.

But then her mother had come riding up, crying. Cecilia had listened to her talk to Kira about Vicente. Cecilia may be young but she wasn't stupid. She could tell that her mother had just confessed that she loved Vicente.

Now Cecilia was running to tell the vampire. She didn't hear the last part about Vicente doing something with Kaylee. Cecilia didn't really like Kaylee even though she had just met her. But she had to tell Vicente.

456

Vicente was lying in Kaylee's bed, half asleep. He turned his head to the side to look at Kaylee. She smirked at him before laying her head on his chest.

"Wow." She said. Vicente laughed.

"I thought you would say that." He said. Kaylee rolled her eyes.

"Now don't you start getting all stuck-up now." She said.

"I'll try." Vicente said. Together they laid there in silence for a while. Someone knocked on the door loudly.

"Hey Kaylee, get up! We've got a contract together remember? We've gotta get going." Jet yelled from outside the door. Kaylee sighed.

"Give me just a minute. I'll meet you out in the main room." Kaylee said, getting up. They heard Jet walk away.

"Where is your contract at?" Vicente asked, sitting up.

"We've got to go all the way to Anvil. Jet and I will be gone for at least 9 or 10 days." Kaylee said, pulling on her armor. Vicente nodded. Kaylee smirked at him again before leaving the room. Vicente sighed and laid back in bed again.

He regretted this. He really regretted it. He had never liked Kaylee in that way. He rarely thought of any woman in that way any more. But his instincts had been in control after feeding so recently. And Rain had walked in on them kissing earlier. He sighed again. Things just weren't going his way tonight.

But at least there was no one at the Sanctuary for now. Kaylee and Jet would be gone for over a week. Ocheeva and Antoinetta were both busy getting supplies. Gogron and Telaendril were probably asleep in their rooms or out killing things. He had no idea what the others could be up to but all he cared about was that no one would bother him for a while.

"Vissy!" Cecilia yelled from somewhere in the Sanctuary. Vicente sat up quickly. _What's she doing here? _He thought as he quickly got dressed. He walked out of Kaylee's room and into the Living Quarters.

"Cecilia, what are you doing here?" He asked, kneeling down to her level.

"I heard my mommy talkin' 'bout something. I had to tell you!" She said. Vicente raised one eyebrow.

"What was your mother talking about, and who was she talking to?" He asked.

"She was talkin' to ma Aunt Kirwa!" Cecilia said. Vicente nodded.

"Okay, and what did she say to Kira?" He asked.

"She loves you!" Cecilia said. Vicente fell silent. He stared down in disbelief at Cecilia. He was trying to register what she had just said. He could barely believe it.

"She said that?" He asked finally. Cecilia nodded.

"Yep." She said.

"Well then…I need to think about this for a while. It's late and you should get to bed. If your mother comes here then you can go with here. Just go to bed for now." Vicente said.

"But I don't wanna!" Cecilia protested.

"Go to bed Cecilia." Vicente ordered. Cecilia pouted a bit but walked into her bedroom. Vicente stood up and walked out of the living quarters to where his room was downstairs. He pulled his shirt off and sat down on his bed. He was tired and had a lot to think about.

456

Rain took a deep breath and walked into the Sanctuary. She wasn't sure why she had actually listened to Kira and came here to talk to Vicente. She new it was pointless but she was actually a little mad at him and definitely hurt. She walked quickly down the stairs to Vicente's room. She opened his door quietly.

Vicente was fast asleep on the stone slab that he called a bed. He was sprawled out on the bed with his boots off and not wearing a shirt. Rain took a step forward and stepped on his shirt. She felt her emotions build up, thinking of what had happened between him and Kaylee.

She was hurt and angry even though part of her knew it was irrational. She felt tears build up and she quickly turned away and rushed out of the room. Vicente woke up and opened one eye. He saw someone running away from his room.

"Rain…?" He said quietly, sitting up. He blinked and shook his head. He stood up quickly, pulled on his shirt and rushed after Rain. By now she was already outside of the Sanctuary, running to her house. She had found Cecilia and told her to head home earlier.

"Rain, wait up!" Vicente called after her as she rushed down the street.

"Go away Vicente!" She yelled back. She ran up to her house and entered quickly, locking the door behind her. Vicente stopped outside the door and sighed. Rain walked into the living room and sat down on the couch. She heard the door open a few moments later after Vicente had obviously picked the lock.

"Rain, let me talk to you." He said, walking into the room. Rain wouldn't look at him.

"I don't want to talk to you right now Vicente. Go away or I'll call the guards!" She said angrily. Vicente sighed.

"Do you honestly think a few guards will stop me?" He asked, forgetting for a moment that he was trying to make her listen to him.

"I don't care. Just go away." Rain said stubbornly. She got up suddenly and ran out of the house, heading for the stables. Vicente shook his head and chased after her. Rain jumped up onto her horse and started to ride off quickly. Vicente stole a horse and followed. Finally Rain stopped and made a frustrated noise.

"Damn you Vicente." She said.

"Well I'm not going to give up. I follow people for a living and I have literally all of eternity to follow you. I won't just let you get away." Vicente said, stopping a ways away from Rain.

"Just go away." Rain said, not looking at Vicente.

"I just want to talk to you." He said.

"I don't want to listen to you." Rain said angrily.

"Rain…" Vicente sighed. Rain suddenly started off again on her horse, into the forest. She was going as fast as she could and taking random turns so even Vicente wouldn't be able to follow her.

Vicente stared off after her and cursed. He then smirked to himself as he slowly held up Rain's money bag. He had pick-pocketed her. He opened the bag and swore again. It was full of rocks.

"Damn it. Of course she carries a fake money bag. She's just as paranoid as Kira and Lucien." Vicente said to himself. He sighed and turned his horse around and headed back to the gates. He'd have to wait for Rain to cool down a bit. Plus he was tired and it was almost sunrise.

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Rain was angry and hurt. Some small part of her was attempting to tell her she was being irrational but she didn't care. Right now she thought Vicente was nothing a jerk. She rode back to Fort Farragut and entered in through the trapdoor.

"I'm guessing things didn't go so great?" Kira asked, sighing. She had almost fallen asleep too.

"I hate Vicente." Rain said. She sat down at a table and took a bite out of a piece of pie that was just sitting there.

"Ew, this is disgusting! How dare you call yourself a pie!?" She violently stabbed the helpless pie.

"There's no need to make the pie feel bad about itself now. I'm sure it tried it's best!" Kira said, sitting up.

"I don't care about the pie's hopes and dreams." Rain said.

"What happened with Vicente now?" Kira asked sleepily.

"I'm just mad at him. He's just such a jerk. I don't care about him any more." Rain said stubbornly. Kira sighed.

"You don't mean that. You're being irrational. Why don't you just head home once the sun comes up and get some rest. Then talk to Vicente in the morning?" She suggested.

"I'm not gonna talk to him. But you are right about getting some sleep I guess. I'll see you later." Rain stood up and left. Kira mumbled a goodbye before laying back on her bed. She was almost asleep when Lucien and Erik got home.

"Ok Erik, go to bed." Lucien said. Kira heard Erik run off with Claw to his bedroom. Lucien laid down next to Kira.

"Hey, we're back." He said. Kira groaned.

"Did I do something to piss off Sithis? Is he angry at me and getting revenge by sending people to interrupt me from sleeping? Do I have to sacrifice three purple cows, a cheese maker and a dancing turtle to make him happy again?" Kira said exhaustedly, rolling on her back and looking at Lucien.

"Uh…well…" Lucien was still trying to process everything she had just said.

"I mean I'm pregnant damn it! I deserve to get some sleep. I blame you, Lucien." Kira glared up at him.

"For what?" Lucien asked.

"Everything. I blame you for the sky being blue and the grass being green. I blame you for all the pain and suffering in the world. I blame you for the death of my parents even!" Kira rambled angrily.

"But that was Vicente's fault…." Lucien started to say. Kira slapped him.

"Shut up! I'm tired. Go to sleep!" And with that she rolled over and fell asleep.

"….Ok." Lucien said slowly.

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Eh….we'll end the chapter there. But we'll update soon.

Wantaco79 is sure you all are DIEING to know how things will turn out with Vicente and Rain.

And of course how will the whole Traitor thing go?

AND WHAT ABOUT DUMBLEDORE?

Oh wait….that's Harry Potter. Sorry.

And yeah…Happy new year and all that stuff.


	14. Chapter 14

Raised in the Shadows

Disclaimer: …..Do you honestly think we would exert enough energy to actually own Oblivion?

A/N: Eh, I'm putting off my homework. Oh and if you haven't noticed yet, Gaaraxocfan has a new username. It's like Lost-Inside-1995 I think. But I'll still call her Gaaraxocfan. I don't even know what she's doing right now.

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_The next afternoon…_

Lucien woke up to something licking his ear. It wasn't a very pleasant sensation. When he tried to roll away from it, he bumped into Kira. She elbowed him in the stomach. Lucien grunted and sat up. Claw was sitting by his side of the bed, grinning at him. _Mocking him._ Lucien glared at the wolf-hound.

"What the hell do you want?" He asked lazily. Claw barked at him and jumped back a few feet. She put her head down low to the ground between her paws with her tail wagging in the air. She barked once again.

"Fine. You crazy dog, I'll follow you." Lucien sighed. He just couldn't win at anything any more. Lucien stood up and pulled on a shirt. He followed Claw into Erik's room. Erik was sitting on the bed grinning.

"Hey kid, why is your dog leading me in here?" Lucien asked.

"Mama told me how to make Claw do that! She went and got you!" Erik looked very proud of himself as he patted Claw's head. Lucien shook his head. He sat down at the foot of Erik's bed and looked around.

Erik's room was distinctly different from the rest of Fort Farragut. It wasn't gloomy or dark or creepy. Lucien and Kira always left the room well lit. Erik didn't really have a lot of toys but he never complained. He had some a few toy or wooden swords and other things like that. Erik had a set of drawers for his clothes and books. He really didn't need all that much stuff right now.

"Did you need something Erik?" Lucien asked.

"I wanna go see Old Man!" Erik said excitedly. Lucien nodded.

"Alright. Let me go wake up your mother. I'll be right back. You try to get dressed." Lucien stood up and left the room. He slowly approached Kira on the bed.

"Hey Kira, get up. We're going to the Sanctuary. We've gotta speak with J'ghasta, the only Speaker who doesn't think I'm the traitor. Come on." Lucien shook Kira's shoulder. She groaned and rolled over onto her back, glaring up at Lucien.

"Why do I have to go?" She asked.

"Because I said so. Get up, Silencer." Lucien said seriously in his official Speaker voice.

"Alright, alright, I'm coming." Kira rolled out of bed and stood up slowly. Lucien walked off to pull on his Speaker robes. Kira pulled on a black shirt and pants with her leather boots. She strapped her father's old sword to her back and put the Blade of Woe on her belt.

"There, are you happy now? I'm ready." Kira said. Erik ran out of his room. His shirt was on backwards but otherwise he was dressed. Lucien leaned down to fix Erik's shirt and they set off for Cheydinhal. This time they were walking because Shadowmere was resting.

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"Hey Old Man, up!" Erik said excitedly. He was sitting on Vicente's chest, grinning. Vicente held back a sigh. _I just can't win when it comes Azrael or Lachance children… _He thought sadly. Vicente opened his eyes.

"Hello Erik. Where are your parents?" He asked.

"They talkin' to J'ga." Erik said, shrugging.

"They're talking to J'ghasta?" Vicente asked. Erik nodded.

"I'm bored!" Erik said suddenly.

"Erik I'm really tired. Go see Grogron or Ocheeva." Vicente said.

"But Old Man…" Erik started to whine.

"No Erik. And tell your mother I want to talk to her later." Vicente said. Erik got up and ran out of Vicente's room. Vicente fell back asleep.

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"Get up you lazy Khajiit!" Lucien shouted, whacking J'ghasta. The Khajiit grunted and rolled over.

"Back off, Lulu! I'm up! Go wait outside of my room!" J'ghasta said angrily. Lucien and Kira quickly walked out of the room so J'ghasta could get dressed. They stood there in silence for a moment.

"Why does he call you…" Kira began.

"No, don't even say it. I don't want to talk about it." Lucien interrupted. Kira grinned at him.

"I think it's kinda cute. Maybe I should start calling you Lulu!" Kira laughed. Lucien glared at her.

"Do that and you won't be getting any contracts for a very long time." He threatened. Kira smirked back at him.

"I'm already not going to be able to go on contracts for at least another 7 to 8 months anyhow." Kira said, patting her stomach a bit. Lucien sighed and stared at her. He was angry but Kira wasn't just some random Dark Brotherhood member that he could threaten.

"Just let it go Kira." Was all Lucien could say. Kira grinned at him. They were interrupted by J'ghasta walking out of his room. The Khajiit grinned at the arguing couple.

"What did you want to talk about J'ghasta?" Lucien asked, glad for the interruption.

"There are pressing matters that I must speak with you about, little brother. There are troubling whispers among the other members of the Black Hand and their Silencers." J'ghasta said seriously.

"Where is your Silencer J'ghasta?" Kira asked. She really didn't know a whole lot about the Black Hand. J'ghasta was the only member whose name she knew and maybe a few of the other Silencers. Well, she knew Arquen too but for all Kira knew Arquen could be dead.

"My Silencer was killed recently on a contract. I believe it was the traitor who got him. I've tried to point out to the other Black Hand members that since you have been near Cheydinhal for the last month you couldn't be the traitor. They refuse to listen." J'ghasta looked frustrated.

"Of course they don't believe you! The others have never really liked me from the start. Ever since that little incident with the priest in Kvatch they've always been out to get me!" Lucien said angrily.

"You're a bit too paranoid, dear." Kira pointed out.

"I have every right to be paranoid." Lucien crossed his arms stubbornly.

"I'm just warning you to be very careful, Lucien. Make sure you always have an escape plan set for wherever you may be. It won't be long before the real traitor could track you down to your hideout or do something to point all evidence at you." J'ghasta said.

"I've got things under control. Don't worry J'ghasta. The traitor can only stay hidden for so long before I'll find them. They won't know what hit them." Lucien said darkly.

"Oh great, now you've got him set on 'creepy, angry assassin' mode." Kira said, raising one eyebrow at her husband. J'ghasta chuckled.

"I like your Silencer's style, Lulu!" He said. Lucien shook his head. Before they could continue, Erik ran into the room.

"Mom, Old Man wanna talk to you!" He said excitedly. Kira looked surprised.

"Why would Vicente want to talk to me?" She looked at Lucien.

"How the hell would I know? That old vampire has been out to get me since I married you." Lucien said. Kira was tempted to make another comment about him being paranoid but decided Lucien should be paranoid about Vicente.

"Erik you stay around the Sanctuary. Lucien, go do whatever it is you do." Kira said before walking off to Vicente's room. J'ghasta grinned at Lucien.

"So, brother…you have a very interesting wife." J'ghasta began.

"Shut up, Jag. I'm not talking about that now. Come Erik, let's go to the training room. Are you coming, J'ghasta?" Lucien asked. The Khajiit nodded and they left the Living Quarters.

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Kira walked into Vicente's room. The vampire was still asleep. She smirked for a moment before approaching him. She slowly rose up her hand, about to hit him with a small shock spell. Next thing Kira knew, she was smashed against the wall with her arm pinned behind her back.

"You're almost as paranoid as Lucien!" She said. She heard Vicente chuckle before he released her and stepped back.

"I've learned over my very long life to stop someone before they can use a shock spell on me." Vicente said calmly.

"What did you want to talk about?" Kira asked, sitting down at Vicente's table.

"Your sister." The vampire said simply. Kira raised one eyebrow.

"Oh right. Rain was pretty ticked off at you last night, Vicente. What did you do? Besides mess around with Kaylee." Kira got right to the point. Vicente almost cringed.

"First of all that was a mistake. I won't be doing anything like that again. I'm sure that's not the only reason Rain is angry with me." Vicente sighed.

"You know how she gets sometimes. Just give her some time to cool down. Just don't expect her to come back to you and apologize. You'll have to go back to her and apologize for what an idiot you are. Just blame it on being a man and a vampire with uncontrollable instincts." Kira said.

"I'm not very fond of saying I'm an idiot." Vicente said with one eyebrow raised.

"You know how it is sometimes, Vicente. You've been married before. I know it's been centuries but you've gotta remember." Kira shrugged. Vicente sighed.

"I try not to think about my old family. Before I was infected. Things were very different when I was young. Everything wasn't as complicated as it is now. Most marriages were arranged. I was just lucky I was set up with someone I could fall in love with." Vicente looked away distantly.

"I know, Vicente." Kira said. After a moment Vicente turned back to look at Kira.

"You should probably get back to Lucien and Erik before they make something explode. I need to get a bit more sleep." He said. Kira nodded and stood up.

"Yeah, you're right. I'll see you later." She started to walk out of the room.

"Oh and Kira?"

"Yeah?"

"Stop trying to hide it. You're pregnant and I know it." Vicente said seriously. Kira slowly turned around to face him and sighed.

"Yes, I'm pregnant. By Sithis, Dad, do you ever stop?" Kira asked. Vicente smirked at her.

"I've got all of eternity to live. Is it so bad if I get a kick out of bothering my daughter?" He asked. Kira rolled her eyes and left. Vicente went back to bed.

456

Rain sat up and yawned. She was still on Bruma time. Some small part of her was still upset with Vicente but she was trying not to think about him. This was easier said than done. She quickly got dressed and walked down the hall. She entered Cecilia's room.

Overall Rain was rather pleased with how well she had fixed up her old house but she was happiest with how Cecilia's room had turned out. Sure it didn't really have a whole lot in it. There was Cecilia's bed, a toy chest and a dresser full of clothes. But Cecilia loved her room and that was what mattered.

"Come on, Cecilia. Time to get up." Rain said, gently shaking the lump on the bed. She heard the young girl give a small groan. Cecilia sat up with only one eye open.

"Mommy, I want sleep in!" She said. Rain smiled at her daughter.

"Come on. You've got to get used to Cheydinhal now." She said. After a moment Cecilia finally got up. Rain helped her get dressed before heading downstairs to check the time and cook some food. She looked out the window as she was entering the kitchen.

"It's almost sunset…" She said to herself. _Vicente will be getting up soon…_ She thought. Despite all these years, Rain was still set on the schedule of being awake a night from when she was a child. Rain shrugged and began to cook. She was making fish, one of Cecilia's favorites. Cecilia entered the kitchen.

"Hey honey, how do you like Cheydinhal so far?" Rain asked.

"It okay. I miss friends in Skingrad. I like Viss-way-ta." Cecilia came a little closer to saying Vicente correctly. Rain sighed.

"That's good." Was all she said.

"I wanna see Viss-way-ta!" Cecilia said excitedly.

"Maybe in a day or two. Vicente's…uh…busy right now." Rain said quickly. Cecilia looked slightly troubled by this but she didn't put a whole lot of thought into it. Rain finished cooking and set the table.

"Here you go. We're having fish!" She said.

"Yay, fishy!" Cecilia said. They sat down and ate.

"Tomorrow we're going to have to get up at a decent time and go shopping. We're running low and food. And I bet you'd want a new toy, huh Cecilia?" Rain grinned.

"Yeah!" Cecilia shouted. After they finished eating Cecilia helped a bit with cleaning up the table before going upstairs to play with her toys. Rain smiled faintly. _I suppose that's the good part of being an only child. You can entertain yourself without others._ She thought while she did the dishes. It was dark outside now.

"Hello Rain." Rain almost dropped the plate she was washing.

"Damn it Vicente! Do you ever give up!?" She turned around to glare at the vampire standing in the doorway.

"I've been known to be very persistent." Vicente said simply. Rain almost growled and turned her back to him. She continued to wash the dishes. Vicente shrugged and continued to watch her. He knew that he should probably apologize but that wasn't the easiest thing for him. His pride was very important to him.

They continued like this in silence for several moments. Rain continued to angrily scrub dishes that were now the cleanest plates in Tamriel. Vicente just stood in the doorway and watched her. He supposed that if he were a normal man he would feel like a creepy stalker right now. But as a vampire this felt perfectly natural to him. Rain grew tired of the silence finally.

"What the hell do you want, Vicente?" She asked finally, her back still to him. Vicente pulled something out of his pocket.

"I believe this is your fake money bag." He said, setting down the bag on the table.

"I can't believe you even tried to pick-pocket me!" Rain turned around to glare at him.

"You refused to talk to me. I was getting frustrated and really didn't know what to do." Vicente said. He was being so calm it was driving Rain insane.

"That's no reason to attempt to steal from me!" She said.

"Where do you keep your real money anyway?" Vicente asked curiously. Rain grinned at him for a minute and glanced down her shirt at her chest.

"I don't think you'd want to reach for that area, Vicente." Rain said simply. Vicente thought about that for a moment.

"Really? I don't think I'd mind that." Vicente smirked as Rain blushed. He walked over to stand in front of Rain with his arms crossed.

"…Go away, Vicente." Rain tried weakly. Vicente sighed.

"I'm sorry about everything." He said finally. Rain stared at him for a moment before nodding.

"I guess it's not completely your fault. Men are idiots." Rain said simply. Vicente shook his head a bit and stared distantly out the window for a while. Rain stared up at him. She wanted to be angry at him. But it wasn't like Vicente was someone she could avoid. And when she tried to avoid him, he wouldn't let her get away. It was all very frustrating. Vicente turned back to stare down at Rain.

"What?" She asked. Vicente smirked.

"Oh, nothing." He said.

"What?" Rain practically yelled.

"I'm just surprised you haven't tried to stab me with something yet. You haven't hit me, stabbed me, used magic on me or really anything like that." Vicente said simply.

"Do the people you usually stalk try something like that?" Rain asked.

"Well I suppose they would if they lived long enough to try and defend themselves." The vampire smirked.

"Why do I put up with all of your creepy assassin stuff?" Rain asked.

"Because you love me." Vicente said. Rain blushed and looked down.

"Oh…who told you about that?" Rain asked nervously.

"Your daughter is a very good listener. I suppose she overheard you speaking to Kira at some point." Vicente tilted his head to one side.

"Oh." Rain was still blushing.

"Rain, look at me." Vicente said seriously. Slowly Rain looked up at Vicente. He kissed her. Rain was surprised at first but soon she kissed him back. There was really nothing else to do but she didn't mind. Vicente pulled back after a moment, remembering that Rain actually needed to breathe.

"I love you, too." Vicente said before kissing her again. This time Rain pulled back first. Vicente looked at her.

"I don't want to scar Cecilia for life if she were to walk down here." She explained. Vicente nodded and they walked upstairs.

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_The next night…_

"Kira, have you seen Vicente today? He's not in his room." Ocheeva asked. Kira looked up from watching Erik and Cecilia play.

"He stopped by yesterday and left Cecilia here. Then he just…left. But I think I have a pretty good idea where he is." Kira smirked and stood up.

"Well if you see him tell him I wish to speak to him about some contracts." Ocheeva said. Kira nodded.

"Do you mind watching these two? There's something I need to check on." Kira asked, motioning towards the children. Ocheeva nodded and Kira left. She let herself into Rain's house and walked upstairs. She opened the door to Rain's room.

"Alright you two, time to get up." She said. Rain groaned and sat up. Vicente was fast asleep.

"Kira! Would it kill you to knock?" Rain asked.

"Yes it would. Come on." Kira said, throwing a discarded boot at Vicente. He grunted and rolled away from Kira.

"Alright, fine. We'll get up Kira. Just go wait downstairs or something." Rain said. Kira shook her head and walked downstairs. A minute later Vicente and Rain both walked downstairs.

"Hey Vicente, did you ever tell Rain yet or were you two…uh…busy?" Kira asked.

"No I didn't." Vicente said.

"Tell me what?" Rain asked.

"Vicente wasn't just being paranoid this time. I really am pregnant. I guessed that I should probably tell you that at some point." Kira said.

"What? Why didn't you tell me sooner?" Rain asked.

"Because it's fun to keep secrets from all of you." Kira said simply.

"Is that all then, Kira? I should go feed." Vicente said.

"Well Ocheeva wanted to talk to you about something or other. You should probably take care of that. And Rain, did you forget that you have a daughter? She's been asking about you. I am not a babysitter. I do not get a kick out of spending my time watching other people's children. Even if I'm pregnant I still have some work to do as a Silencer you know." Kira ranted.

"What work could you possibly have?" Rain asked.

"Secret Silencer stuff. I could tell you but then I'd have to kill you." Kira grinned at Vicente and Rain before leaving.

"How does Lucien put up with her every minute of everyday alone in their hideout?" Rain asked.

"I don't even know where their hideout is." Vicente said.

"Oh it's…" Rain was interrupted.

"No, don't tell me. Lucien threatened to kill me if I ever discovered where his hideout is. I rather value my life." Vicente said.

"Lucien wouldn't kill you!" Rain said.

"Yes, he would. I know that in a fair fight I could easily beat him but then I'd have the rest of the Brotherhood against me." Vicente shrugged.

"Alright then. Well I should go get Cecilia. I'll see you at the Sanctuary after you've fed." Rain kissed Vicente and left.

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There, Vicente and Rain made up!

Happy now? No? UNGRATEFUL PERSON.

But as always, it can't be a bowl of fancy assorted cashews forever.

Plus, we love to mess things up and then fix them again.

GRAPEFRUIT.


	15. Chapter 15

Raised in the Shadows

Disclaimer: We do not own Oblivion.

A/N: Sorry it's been a while since we updated but Wantaco79's laptop was broken. But now I have a new one!

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_One year later…_

Rain quickly stepped away as he slashed his sword at her. She attempted and failed to stab at his shoulder. He easily blocked it. Then his sword came up and knocked hers so hard she dropped it. He quickly moved in and had a dagger at her throat. Rain gulped while he chuckled darkly.

"You know what? Kira was right, you're an ass." Rain said.

"You're the one who insisted that I teach you. You've could've always convinced your darling pet vampire." Lucien said as he backed away. For the last few months Lucien had been giving Rain combat lessons so she could better protect herself. She couldn't learn from Vicente because he distracted her while they were trying to fight.

"We've been over this before, Lucien." Rain started but before she could begin arguing with Lucien once again there was a knock at the door. The both looked over to see Vicente standing in the doorway to the training room. He held up a piece of parchment with a wax seal on it.

"Are you coming along this time, Lucien?" Was all Vicente asked. Lucien grinned.

"Hell yes! How long will it take to get to Skingrad?" Lucien said.

"If you're on Shadowmere and I feed quickly and then run to catch up, it should only take about 2 days." Vicente said.

"Great. Let's go. I'll go tell Kira and meet you at the stables." Lucien quickly left the room. Rain gave Vicente a questioning look.

"And…where are you going and why?" She asked, slowly walking towards Vicente.

"This was a message from a…friend of mine and Lucien's in Skingrad. We'll need to head there but we'll be back in about a week." Vicente said smoothly.

"And who exactly is this friend?" Rain was suspicious. Vicente wasn't usually so secretive like this.

"I can't tell you. It's important business stuff. I've got to hurry. I'll see you in a few days." Vicente quickly kissed Rain to prevent any more questions and walked off. Rain shook her head. A few minutes later she heard Lucien and Vicente leave the Sanctuary. Rain walked off to the room Kira and Lucien had been sleeping in since their daughter had been born.

"Hey Kira, where are Lucien and Vicente going?" Rain asked. Kira was sitting on the bed with her baby girl Moralis in her arms. Kira looked up at Rain.

"You mean Vicente's never told you before?" She said.

"Told me what?" Rain asked.

"Well you know Janus Hassildor, right? He's the count of Skingrad. Well he's a vampire and a very powerful one at that within the secret vampire community. So every once and a while he's throws violent, bloody vampire parties." Kira explained.

"Vampire…parties." Rain repeated.

"Yep. They drink blood with alcohol in it and do other…vampire things." Kira shrugged.

"Then why is Lucien going? He's not a vampire…right?" Rain asked suspiciously.

"No, of course he isn't. But sometimes there are humans at the party who like violent things and so they go with vampire friends and drink normal alcohol and stuff like that. Jet is going with them too. Those three will get totally drunk, stay at the Skingrad Sanctuary while they have hangovers and then come back here." Kira said.

"Weird… You know what we should do? We should follow them and then bother them while they're having hangovers." Rain grinned evilly. Kira thought about that and then grinned too.

"Let's just wait to leave until tomorrow so we won't have to worry about them spotting us following them." She said. Rain nodded and then left.

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_The next day…_

After talking to Ocheeva and getting she to agree to watch the kids Rain and Kira set off on Rain's horse and a horse that Kira stole, they started off for Skingrad. They would probably get to Skingrad the day after the vampire party. Kira knew where they would be staying at the Skingrad Sanctuary.

Finally after a rather uneventful two day trip they reached Skingrad. They calmly walked through the streets under the cover of night to an old inn at the edge of town. It looked just like a wrecked and burned down old building but just like in Cheydinhal it hid the Dark Brotherhood. When they entered the Sanctuary they were greeted by Mathieu Bellmont. Kira glared at him.

"Hello Bellmont." She said darkly. He returned her glare.

"Azrael, may I ask why you are visiting the Skingrad Sanctuary?" He said.

"Master Lachance is here. I must speak with him on important matters." All of the family members outside of Cheydinhal knew nothing of Kira's and Lucien's relationship. As his Silencer she had to refer to him as "master Lachance." Bellmont nodded.

"He returned here late last night. I believe he is sleeping in the last room down the hall." Bellmont eyed Rain darkly and then walked off. Kira and Rain shrugged and walked down to Lucien's room. Kira was stopped by another member who insisted on speaking to her so Rain entered the room without her. Rain was sure to make the door smack loudly against the wall when she walked in and to shed a lot of light inside.

"Aaah, the light!" Vicente was the only person on the bed. He quickly covered his eyes and fell off the bed. He landed on an unconscious Lucien on the floor. Rain laughed. The two men both seemed to have horrible headaches and in confusion began to fight each other. Really they were just a mess on the floor. Kira walked in.

"Why is Vicente molesting my husband?" She asked, laughing. Quickly Vicente and Lucien rolled away from each other, both covering their eyes.

"Be quiet…and put out that light!" Lucien groaned. Rain kneeled down next to Vicente and put her mouth next to his ear.

"WOULD YOU LIKE SOMETHING FOR YOUR HEADACHE?!" She yelled.

"Aah. Go away. My head's killing me…" Vicente said helplessly. Kira, feeling evil, simply kicked Lucien in the shin. He grunted, tried to kick her back and missed. Kira laughed and sat down on the bed. Lucien slowly crawled over to a bag on the floor, took a potion and then leaned against the wall, throwing a potion to Vicente.

"Now what are you two drinking?" Rain asked.

"This will help with our headaches. Now will you two explain why you're here?" Lucien asked as his headache began to fade.

"We wanted to torture you two." Kira said.

"It's fun." Rain added.

"Well why don't you go bother Jet in the next room?" Vicente asked.

"That's not as much fun. He's a deep sleeper unlike you two paranoid freaks." Kira said. Lucien slowly stood up and glared at her.

"Right well go and wake him up. We should be leaving now anyway." He ordered.

"But Lucien, we just got here!" Kira said.

"Now Silencer. Tell him we'll be leaving in an hour. Once you're finished with him meet me in the room across the hall." Lucien said. Kira sighed and nodded. She walked off to the next room. Lucien grabbed his bag and Speaker robes and left the room. Rain turned to stare at Vicente.

"So how was the party?" She asked cheerily. Vicente shook his head.

"You just couldn't resist coming here to bother us, could you?" He asked as he got up to sit on the bed. Rain smiled at him.

"Well of course I couldn't. Bothering you is too much fun." She said.

"You do know that Lucien and I will get you both back, right?" Vicente asked. Rain raised one eyebrow.

"How will you do that?" She asked.

"Oh don't worry. You'll find out at some point. For now I suppose we should worry about what we'll do for the next hour…" Vicente said. Rain shook her head.

"You can be just as much of a dog as Lucien." She said. Vicente shrugged and kissed her.

456

Kira finally got Jet to get up and then walked in to the room she was supposed to meet Lucien in. By now he had pulled on his Speaker robes and was reading a letter at a table in the corner of the room. He looked up when Kira walked in.

"What's that?" She asked.

"It's a letter from the Black Hand. They are beginning to wonder why we haven't completed very many contracts recently. Of course they don't know about Moralis being born. The Listener is ordering us to get back to work immediately." Lucien said, showing Kira the letter. The letter read:

_Lachance,_

_What in the name of Sithis have you and your Silencer been up to? It's been far too long since you have attended some of your more important duties and your Silencer hasn't completed very many contracts. Get off your ass and get to work!_

_The Listener_

"Okay, well I'm ready to get back to killing people. I'm getting bored at the Sanctuary." Kira said eagerly.

"First I must meet with the rest of the Black Hand for a meeting. Then I must return to my Speaker duties. I'll be sure to get some contracts for you." Lucien said.

"But how will you get the contract to me if you'll be right back at your Speaker duties?" Kira asked.

"I'll hide the contracts in hollow objects like rocks and tree stumps as I continue along with my duties. I'll leave notes for where you find each one." Lucien said after thinking for a moment. Kira stared at him.

"I think that's a horrible idea." She said simply.

"Well deal with it, Silencer. It's the only way we can work this out. Just make sure you keep up with each contract. We'll head back to Cheydinhal and then I'll leave for the Black Hand meeting. "Lucien said very seriously. Kira nodded.

"Where will you hide the first contract?" She asked.

"I'll hide it in a hollow rock on Heroes' Hill. You should leave to find it in about a week or so. We're going to be very busy for a while Kira. I don't know when the next time we'll see each other will be." Lucien stood up.

"Well…that'll be okay. We just gotta be careful to make sure we're not killed by the traitor right? I think you can stay out of trouble without me for a little while." Kira grinned at Lucien. He rolled his eyes.

"I think the real question is if you can stay out of trouble without me, Kira." Lucien said. Kira shook her head and wrapped her arms around Lucien with her head leaning against his chest.

"I just don't want to leave Erik and our baby girl for a very long time…" She said. Lucien sighed and put his arms around Kira.

"I should be able to stop at the Sanctuary often enough. I don't really know about you though. I guess you'll just have to stop in after doing a few contracts." He said. Kira nodded. Outside of the room a dark shape grinned evilly before walking off. He still had work to do around the Sanctuary and to begin planning with this new information.

"Come on, we should be leaving soon. Go make sure Jet is ready." Lucien said after a moment. Kira nodded.

456

After talking with a Khajiit who was in command of this Sanctuary they all finally got to leave. Talking with the Khajiit wasn't so bad it was just putting up with Lucien's favorite part of being a Speaker; having everyone call him Master. He really got a kick out of it. It was a real pain to have to always say "yes Master Lachance" or "whatever you say, Master Lachance." Finally they were outside the city with their horses. It was still a few more hours until dawn.

"I'll see you all back at the Sanctuary. I have a contract in Chorrol that I should take care of. See you." Jet said before riding off on the horse that Kira had stolen earlier. Rain and Vicente were on Moonscar and Lucien and Kira were on Shadowmere.

"Good now that he's gone I'll actually be able to get some sleep." Kira said.

"What? You're going to sleep the whole way back?" Lucien asked.

"Just after you so rudely interrupted us sleeping this earlier?" Vicente said.

"Well of course we are! We've been up for almost two days straight! We're gonna sleep." Rain said, leaning back against Vicente.

"Just make sure you ask for directions if you get lost instead of waking us up." Kira said. Lucien stared down at her.

"We do not get lost." He said.

"We _never _get lost." Vicente said.

"Yeah right." Rain said. Lucien and Vicente rolled their eyes while the girls got comfortable to sleep.

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_Two days later, back in Cheydinhal…_

Lucien had gone to bed as soon as they had returned; knowing he probably wouldn't get much sleep in the coming weeks. He woke up to Moralis crying. Lucien groaned and felt around to see if Kira was there next to him to deal with it. The bed was empty. He sighed and picked up his daughter.

"Shh, it's alright baby. I've got you." Lucien said exhaustedly. He began to hum his mother's old lullaby until she finally fell asleep. Lucien smiled grimly down at Moralis in the darkness. He had a bad feeling.

The traitor was never far from his thoughts. He was constantly worrying over what if they got Kira or if they found out about Erik and Moralis. He was always wondering what trick they would try next to further prove that he was supposedly the traitor.

Lucien had never really been a favorite among the superiors of the Dark Brotherhood even before the traitor mess. When he had been a kid he had always been known to cause trouble. He had just been one of those problem children. Then when he had become the youngest member of the Black Hand he had been known for some reckless behavior. He also couldn't always think before he said something. He had pissed off Arquen several times as well as the Listener.

J'ghasta had been the only one to except him and believe him. But he had grown up with J'ghasta. They had caused trouble together. It was just that Lucien was known to cause more trouble. He sighed.

He didn't want to lose Kira or his children. He had lost everything before when his father had left and his mother had died. He didn't want to go through that again. Lucien yawned and put Moralis back in her crib. He would try to get some more sleep before leaving for the Black Hand meeting.

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_The next night…_

"But Daddy, I don' want you to leave!" Erik whined. Lucien was just about to leave for the Black Hand. He sighed and kneeled down next to his son.

"I have to leave, Erik. Don't worry I'll be back soon enough. Just make sure watch over Cecilia and Moralis, okay?" Lucien asked. Erik loved being a big brother and mentioning them needing him helped a lot.

"Daaaaadddddyyy!" Erik said. Lucien smirked at him.

"It'll be alright. Be patient, child. And listen to Vicente when your mother's not around, okay? I'll see you in a month." Lucien ruffled his son's messy black hair and stood up. He lightly patted Claw's head and walked out of Erik's room. He quickly left the Sanctuary and headed for the secret stables. Kira was waiting for him while she looked after Shadowmere.

"I've got to leave now, Kira." Lucien said, walking up behind her. Kira nodded.

"Alright. Are you taking Shadowmere with you?" She turned around to face Lucien.

"No, you'll need her more than me. If I need to I'll steal a horse." Lucien wrapped his arms around Kira's waist and pulled her close. She looked up and tried to read his face but couldn't. He had already switched to his unreadable Speaker face.

"Try not to piss off someone important while you're gone, alright? They already hate you enough." Kira attempted to grin.

"You don't even know the names of the other Black Hand members! How would you know that piss them off?" Lucien said.

"Hey I know you, J'ghasta and Arquen!" Kira said.

"Yes but you don't know any of the other members or their Silencers." Lucien said.

"Whatever. Just at least attempt to stay out of trouble okay? I'll be sure to pick up the contracts wherever you leave them, even if I think your plan is a horrible idea." Lucien rolled his eyes and kissed Kira. Then he stepped away from Kira and stood back a few feet.

"I'll have your contract shortly, Silencer. Remain here for the next week before finding it." He said in his deep Speaker voice. Kira stood up professionally.

"Yes Master Lachance. I'll take care of everything." She said. Lucien gave a short nod and then disappeared into the forest. Kira sighed and turned back to Shadowmere.

"Looks like it's just you and me for now, Shadowmere. You better not start doing that thing where you eat rats and dogs." Kira said. Shadowmere snorted in answer.

456

"So I really am….?" Rain started. Telaendril nodded.

"I wouldn't joke about something this serious, sister. If you don't want this…" The other Elf said.

"No, I do want this. It's just…I didn't know it was still possible for Vicente to…" Rain said.

"I know it is quite a shock. Have you spoken to him about this yet?" Telaendril asked calmly.

"No I haven't. But I will. Thanks for all your help, Telaendril." Rain got up and left. She walked down to Vicente's room and let herself in. Her "darling pet vampire," as Lucien liked to call him, was asleep on his bed still. Rain sat on the edge of the rock slab and played with his hair for a while. Vicente stirred and opened one eye.

"Hello Rain, do you need something?" He asked sleepily. Rain smiled at him and took a deep breath.

"Um…Vicente, I'm pregnant." Rain said quickly. Vicente stared up at her, blinked a few times and raised one eyebrow.

"Are you taking feldew?" He asked after a moment.

"What? No! Vicente this I'm not hallucinating from a drug, I'm being serious!" Rain said. Vicente looked at her for another moment.

"Am I on feldew then?" He asked. Rain sighed.

"No, you don't take drugs! I am P-R-E-G-N-A-N-T. You know that stage women are in for nine months before they have a baby." Rain said, making hand motions around her stomach to demonstrate.

"Are you sure?" Vicente asked in disbelief. Rain almost screamed in frustration.

"Yes I'm sure! Vicente I am pregnant with your child! What is so hard for you to understand that?" She said.

"I thought it was impossible for me to have children is all. It's quite a shock actually." Vicente said. Rain sighed and rested her head on his chest.

"Well trust me, it's possible." She said.

"Unless you cheated on me of course." Vicente said jokingly. Rain glared up at him.

"Who else would I sleep with?" She asked.

"Gogrom of course." Vicente said with a straight face. Rain almost snorted.

"Yes because I think that Orcs are just the sexiest things EVER." Rain laughed.

"I knew it!" Vicente laughed a bit. Rain rolled her eyes. She was about to hit Vicente when he wrapped his arms around her. Rain relaxed a bit.

"Now you're sure?" Vicente asked after a moment. Rain groaned.

"YES. I AM SURE!" Rain screamed. Vicente chuckled.

"Just checking." He said before kissing Rain.

Outside of the room, Kaylee walked off in a rage. She had never particularly liked Rain but as soon as Vicente had chosen her over Kaylee, she had absolutely hated that worthless Wood Elf. She walked off to her room and sat down. Now was the perfect time to start her plans…

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The end!

Ooh, I bet you're all just dying to see how things go with both the traitor and Kaylee!

Ha, ha, and now you have to wait for us to update again!

Send a review and it comes faster!


	16. Chapter 16

Raised in the Shadows

Disclaimer: We wished we owned Lucien Lachance and Vicente Valtieri. But we don't.

A/N: This is where you start getting spoilers for the rest of the Dark Brotherhood quest. This all takes place after the Purification…which we obviously skipped.

456

_One week later…_

"Erik, make sure you be good for Vicente and Ocheeva, okay?" Kira said. Erik nodded tearfully. Kira gave him a quick hug and stood up.

"Don't worry. I'll keep a close eye on him." Vicente said. He reached down and picked up Erik.

"Thanks Vicente. Lucien should stop by sometime within in the next two to three weeks. I don't know how long I'll be gone.

"Bye, Auntie Kiwa." Cecilia said. Kira smiled down at her.

"Hey Rain, try to stay away from drinking too much alcohol and all that." Kira said.

"I know! I've been pregnant before." Rain said. Kira grinned, quickly kissed Erik's forehead and walked out of the Sanctuary. She quickly made her way to the Brotherhood stables. Shadowmere was already saddled and ready to go.

"Alright girl, are you ready to go?" Kira patted Shadowmere's nose before hopping up into the saddle and riding off quickly.

456

"Well, I'm off too!" Rain said. Vicente looked up at her, surprised.

"What?" He asked.

"Well yeah, there was someone I wanted to go visit in Bruma. I haven't seen them in so long!" Rain said.

"And who exactly is it that you're going to visit?" Vicente asked.

"He's a cousin of mine and Kira's. Don't worry I'll be perfectly safe. You could say that he…is part of the Blades. I'll be at their hideout in the mountains." Rain said mysteriously. Vicente sighed.

"Alright, but please be careful Rain." He said worriedly.

"I'll be fine. If it'll make you feel better why don't you meet me at my Bruma house in a few days, okay? I'll see you then." Rain quickly kissed Vicente and left. She was very excited about seeing Martin again. She wondered how the whole Oblivion Crisis had been going…

456

Kira reread the Dead Drop, as she had begun calling it. She then stared at it and sighed.

"So, all I have to do is kill some random necromancer." She said to herself. It sounded easy enough. Sure the note told her to be careful and whatnot but she was a professional. She was a Silencer for Lucien Lachance for crying out loud. She could handle herself. She headed straight for the cave where the necromancer should be.

She found the cave and quietly entered. To make a long story short she found her way through the cave, killing rats and skeletons before finding the necromancer's book. Kira figured that with her father's sword she didn't need to use some special trick on the necromancer. She found the necromancer and fought him. The battle became a little complicated when he turned invisible but she finally tracked him down and slaughtered him.

"That was fun." She said. She ran back out of the cave, off to her next dead drop. She found the dead drop.

"So I get to find all five members of the family and kill them all?" Kira grinned. This was her favorite kind of contract. So many different parts to it; each with their own risks. She rode off to Applewatch. Killing the elderly Draconis woman was easy. She thought Kira was there to deliver gifts to her children. Kira killed her and her dog quickly.

"Okay so one lives in a cave, one in the Drunken Dragon Inn, the next in Leyawiin and finally one in Imperial City. This is going to take a while." Kira studied her map for a second and then headed off for the first Draconis family member in some out of the way cave. Hours later she found the cave. Kira shivered. It was cold tonight. She walked inside.

Kira was attacked by several rats and wild dogs but they were no match for her. She found one of the Draconis children deeper into the cave. Kira had to admit this woman was definitely crazy. She looked like an actual animal. But she didn't have a weapon and Kira cut her down quickly. She hurried out of the cave and moved on to the Drunken Dragon Inn.

"Hello there. Did you just stop by to bother me or are you going to actually buy something?" The owner said. Kira gave him an overly pleasant smile.

"I'd like to pay for a room." She gave the Draconis ten gold and headed upstairs to her room, smiling briefly at the guard who was also staying there. There was nothing saying she couldn't rest up before killing the Draconis. Besides, she'd have to wait for the guard to either leave or go to bed. Kira entered her room, locked the door and lay down on the bed with her dagger close at hand. You could never be too careful. She quickly fell asleep.

456

"I'm almost halfway there!" Rain said with attempted enthusiasm. It had taken longer than she thought to get to Bruma. She had been forced to take a few detours due to spotting marauders and highway men lurking in the shadows. Now she was riding around the walls surrounding Bruma so she could get back on the path to Cloud Ruler. She could barely make out the outline of the tower against the cloudy sky.

Finally after about another hour she was riding up to the entrance gate. The guard at the gate recognized Rain and let her in. She left Moonscar at the stables and rushed inside.

"Hey Jauffre, how're you?" Rain asked as soon as she spotted the guild master. Jauffre smiled at her.

"Rain, it's been far too long. Everything here is going as well as can be expected. But I'm guessing you're looking for Martin?" Jauffre said. Rain nodded.

"He's in his bedroom. I doubt he'll mind if you interrupt him." Rain nodded again and hurried up to Martin's bedroom. She entered in quickly without knocking. Martin was passed out on his bed, still in his blue robes. Rain almost felt bad about waking him up; _almost._

"Hey Martin, wake up!" Rain said loudly by his ear. Martin jerked awake and almost fell off the bed. It took him a moment to collect himself and turn to a grinning Rain.

"Rain! What are you doing here?" He asked.

"I decided to come and visit you. How's everything going? Have you been making sure you take care of yourself? You always work too hard." Rain started to ramble.

"Yes, Rain, I'm fine. But I have been busy. This Oblivion Crisis is lasting longer than we thought it would. But it should be over soon. Revan and Olaf have managed to get almost everything we need to open a portal to Mankar Cameron's Paradise. They're retrieving the final peace now." Marin held back a yawn.

"Well at least it will be over soon." Rain said.

"Yes and then I get to move on to the oh so relaxing job of being Emperor of Cyrodiil." Martin sighed. He looked exhausted.

"Don't worry about that. You'll be a great emperor. Plus you'll have all sorts of people to do work for you." Rain soothed. Martin smiled faintly.

"Let's not focus on my troubles at the moment. It's been years Rain, how have things been with you?" He said. Rain smiled.

"Well, you probably remember my daughter Cecilia. She hasn't changed a whole lot yet but she is getting better at pronouncing things. But…uh…I'm with a guy now that I really like and well…I'm pregnant again." Rain grinned.

"That's great, Rain! And what about Kira? I haven't seen her since she left all those years ago." Martin said thoughtfully.

"Kira's married now with a seven year old son, Erik, and a baby girl named Moralis."

"What kind of guy did she marry?" Martin asked.

"His name is Isaac Valtieri. He's one of those dark and mysterious guys. And he…can really blend in with a crowd. You know, one of those guys." Outside of the Brotherhood Kira and Lucien used Vicente's last name to avoid attracting suspicion. Several guards were familiar with the name Lachance and Lucien wasn't a very common name compared to Isaac. Martin nodded.

"I always thought she'd end up with one of those guys. I hope he's a good guy." He said.

"Well…to other people he can seem kind of…threatening in a way but with Kira and their kids he's always great. Plus if he was a truly bad guy Kira wouldn't put up with him. I mean it's not like he….kills people or anything like that." Rain said trying to make Lucien sound as close to a normal guy as she could.

"Well I'm glad Kira's doing so well. Now Rain, I'd love to continue catching up with you. But I'm very tired and I'm sure you are as well. Let's get some sleep and then we'll talk tomorrow." Martin said. Rain nodded and left the room to find herself a place to rest.

456

After a few hours of sleep Kira got up and took care of the next Draconis child. She continued on to Leyawiin and the Imperial city. She found her next dead drop and found a quiet spot to read it. She had to reread it several times. Then she tried reading it out loud while trying to impersonate Lucien.

"That doesn't sound a whole like him. I have to kill an Argonian named Shaleez…that part sounds normal. But…he never tells me _why _the contract has been ordered. And he didn't state something incredibly obvious at the start of this note…" Kira sighed and tried to think about it. But she was tired and couldn't think clearly. She looked up at Shadowmere who was standing nearby.

"What do you think girl?" Kira asked. The horse snorted.

"Yeah me too. But orders are orders right? Maybe Lucien's just as tired as me and was too lazy to write in his normal style." Kira got up and headed to the nearest inn to rest quickly.

The next morning she set out to track down the cave that this psychopath of an Argonian called home. She found the cave finally and entered it. She sighed once she got inside.

"Of course. It's full of water. Just fantastic." She said. Kira took a deep breath and dived in with the Blade of Woe in her right hand. She swam quickly to the nearest spot that she could come up for air at. She looked around carefully and spotted a dark shape floating a ways away. It was the Argonian. Kira took another deep breath and rushed towards Shaleez.

The Argonian spotted her and the fight began. _Damn it, I can stay under much longer if I continue to fight… _Kira cursed in her mind. She kicked Shaleez away and began to head for the surface. But Shaleez grabbed her ankle and dragged her back down. Kira growled in her mind and pulled the damn Argonian closer. Kira slit their throat and hurried for the surface.

She reached the surface and coughed. After a few moments she could breath clearly again and returned to the cave entrance. She tried and failed to shake off much water and left. Shadowmere snorted when she saw Kira.

"Oh shut up you stupid horse." Kira climbed up onto a nearby rock that was in the sunlight to dry off. Shadowmere grazed nearby.

456

_A few days later…_

"Okay Martin, I've gotta leave now. I'll try to visit as soon as I can before your final plans go into action." Rain said. She gave Martin a quick hug and left for Bruma. She shivered as she started down the freezing path. Even though it was the middle of the day it was fairly dark out due to the grey clouds that constantly surrounded Bruma this time of year.

Halfway down the path Rain thought she heard something nearby. She stopped her horse and looked around. She shrugged and continued on. A few minutes later the sound came again. It sounded like someone walking softly on the snow. She gulped and pulled out a dagger but continued on her path. _Just get back to Bruma and the house. Vicente will probably be there soon._ Rain told herself silently.

Rain hurried along to Bruma's gates. One of the guards was kind enough to take her horse to the stables for her so she could rush home. She still felt a little uneasy but she was safer in town. Finally she made it back to her house and quickly locked her front door. She sighed at laughed a bit at herself for freaking out over something so stupid. Rain took off her cloak and put her dagger away. She walked downstairs to her bedroom so she could read until Vicente got there.

Rain heard a noise again. She froze and looked around uneasily. She was really starting to worry now. She gulped and walked quickly into her bedroom. She locked that door as well since Vicente had a key anyway. She turned around to go sit in a chair by her desk. Something hit her on the back of the head and everything went black.

456

Kira continued on completing the contracts even though the way they were worded didn't sound quite like Lucien. It made her feel uneasy but most of the time she just shook it off. She was just glad to be back fulfilling contracts again. Her job as a Silencer was much better than Lucien's as a Speaker.

But it was starting to feel like she had been away from home for a while. It hadn't really been that long but she was constantly aware of the time passing. Minutes, hours, _days._ It was starting to make her worry about her son and daughter. Now she had also killed Alval Uvani in Leyawiin and Havilstein Hoar-Blood in the mountains. She chuckled a bit at the poor Nord's name. Hoar-Blood. It just didn't sound right if you thought about it. Kira found her next dead drop.

"I have to kill Ungolim in Bravil. He's a paranoid guy, stays in his house all the time. Only leaves between 6 P.M. and 1 A.M. Guards will look the other way if a fight starts out. Heh, doesn't sound too tough." Kira said thoughtfully. She was kind of tired and wounded but she'd continue on the Bravil and take care of this one quickly then she would rest.

Hours later she was in Bravil. It was ten o'clock at night. She approached the statue of the Lucky Old Lady and watched. Sure enough Ungolim walked up a few minutes later. Kira grinned and pulled out her sword. She charged at him.

He turned quickly in surprise and pulled out his bow and arrows. He shot quickly at Kira. She managed to dodge most of them but one got her in the shoulder. She cursed and got up closer to him. She had him now that she was closer. She slashed quickly at Ungolim. He tried to fight back but she was too close for him to get a good shot. Soon she knocked the bow from his hands and finished him off.

"Ow, what a bastard. All I wanted to do was kill him. That gave him no right to shoot at me like that." Kira said as she pulled the arrow from her shoulder. She used a basic healing spell to patch it up the cut for now and quickly left the area. Kira headed to a small out of the inn outside of Bravil to rest in. She bought a room and walked upstairs. She bandaged up her shoulder and then fell asleep.

456

Rain groaned and opened her eyes slowly. Her hands were tied behind her back and she was sitting on a chair. Her vision was still a little blurry and she had a horrible headache but after a moment she could see clearly.

"What in the name of Sithis happened?" She groaned, looking around. Someone chuckled darkly behind her. Rain tried to turn her head to see but she couldn't spot the person. Slowly she heard them walk around to face her.

He was a tall, dark haired Imperial man. His clothes were different from those normally worn in Cyrodiil. But what worried Rain the most was his face. He had a gaunt face, with wrinkles here and there, red eyes and fangs. He was a vampire.

"Aw, poor little, helpless Wood Elf. You're completely at my mercy." He said, grinning. Rain's heart beat sped up but she forced herself to think clearly. He had an accent.

"Y-you're from Morrowind. What do you want?" Rain stuttered. The vampire smirked sadistically at her.

"Well aren't you a smart one. I am from Morrowind. I'm part of the Morag Tong specifically." He said. Rain gasped. The Morag Tong was like Morrowind's Dark Brotherhood. They were assassins.

"W-why would someone want to kill m-me?" Rain was panicking on the inside.

"Well, I suppose that's a little complicated. And before you start asking the only reason why you're not dead yet is because I've been told to make this very painful and that doesn't work if you're unconscious. You probably know a vampire in one of your little Dark Brotherhood Sanctuaries, Kaylee." The vampire said.

"But why would she….?" Rain was so confused.

"Kaylee is a like a cousin to me. We were transformed by the same Vampire Ancient. She wants you dead because you've apparently stolen the un-beating heart of Vicente Valtieri. She hates you for that. I hate Valtieri. He caused a lot of trouble for me once a few centuries ago. Kaylee wants you dead and I want to get back at Valtieri, it's a win-win situation for us. Not so much for you though…" The vampire grinned again. Rain whimpered.

"Oh don't worry so much yet, little Wood Elf. I'll wait to finish you off until your precious Valtieri gets her. I want him to see the life leave your eyes. And then I'll kill him as the grief sets in. He doesn't react very well to loss of loved ones. It'll be the perfect moment to finish him off finally."

456

Kira awoke to someone above her on the bed with a knife at her throat. She gulped and slowly opened her eyes. She had left a candle burning and could see clearly. She almost relaxed when she saw who it was.

"Lucien? What the hell are you doing?" Kira said. She would've relaxed and laughed if he didn't look like he was seriously about to kill her.

"Damn it, don't act like an idiot. I can't believe this. I can't believe you'd betray the Dark Brotherhood, your _family_. I can't believe you'd betray me." Lucien growled. Kira felt fear begin to take over but she forced herself to stay calm.

"What in the name of Sithis are you talking about?" Kira was honestly confused but she was scared too. She did know what Lucien was like when he was mad. It was terrifying.

"You fulfilled your first two dead drop contracts but then you ignored them. Since then you've been systematically killing off the Black Hand! And now you've killed Ungolim, the Listener himself!" Lucien was furious.

"Wha…I…." Kira stuttered.

"But….no…you really don't know what you've done. It wasn't really you." Lucien relaxed and moved his dagger away from Kira's throat and he moved over to sit on the bed, leaning against the wall. Kira sat up.

"No it wasn't me! Lucien please, tell me what the hell is going on." Kira said. Lucien sighed.

"Somehow the dead drops have been switched. None of the ones I've set since you killed the Draconis family have been answered. You've defeated most of the Black Hand. And now the remaining members know that you were just following orders. Now they're convinced I'm the traitor, even J'ghasta thinks so. I've been on the run for days now." He said. Kira stared at him worriedly. Lucien looked exhausted. She had never seen him like this before. Kira leaned forward and kissed him.

"I'm guessing you have a plan, right?" She said, trying to keep things going so they could get to the bottom of this.

"Yes. If you follow your orders to find the next dead drop you can intercept whoever places it there. They should lead to the real traitor. But I will have to remain in hiding. Fort Farragut is under watch. I'll stay at Applewatch where you killed to old Draconis woman. It should be empty and safe there." Lucien said. Kira nodded.

"Okay. But are you sure we should split up? Wouldn't it be better if we stayed together to watch each others' backs?" She asked.

"We'd only slow each other down. I must remain in hiding and you must find the traitor. We should hurry too." Lucien sounded worried for once. He never got worried. It just wasn't something that Lucien Lachance did.

"First Lucien, you should get some sleep. You look like hell." Kira said.

"No, we should…" Kira interrupted him.

"Don't try to argue. What good would it do if you were almost to Applewatch and you pass out? I'm not taking chances Lucien. I don't want to risk losing you." Kira said. Lucien gave up any hope of arguing and nodded.

Kira helped him out of his Speaker robes so he was only in a dark shirt and pants. He stretched out next to Kira and stared up at the ceiling blankly. Kira rested her head on his shoulder.

"Kira…if the Black Hand finds me…they will kill me." Lucien said seriously.

"Don't think about that. I'll die before they get to you. We'll find the traitor and kill them and then continued on with our lives. It'll be fine." Kira said with determination. Lucien chuckled darkly.

"I wish I shared your enthusiasm." He said. He rolled onto his side and wrapped his arms around Kira. He fell asleep a while later. Kira watched him sleep for a while, fearing what the future might hold.

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Vicente arrived in Bruma around 10 o'clock at night. He snuck past the guards with ease and kept his face hidden from anyone who might be out this late. He approached Rain's house while still hidden in the shadows. Of course there was no one outside this late when it was this freezing but Vicente had learned to be cautious. He walked over to Rain's front door. He turned the handle.

That wasn't right. It was unlocked. Vicente had a bad feeling. He quietly opened the door and slipped inside. The main level seemed normal. Vicente stood perfectly still, using his vampire senses to look for anything. He used the spell Hunter's Sight and looked down. There were _two _people in Rain's room. Vicente growled and ran downstairs, ready to attack.

"Oh Valtieri, how nice you could make it." The vampire said. Vicente almost gasped in disbelief.

"Gavin…" Vicente growled. Gavin smirked at him.

"Your little Wood Elf and I were about to start the party without you! What took you so long, Valtieri?" Gavin stepped to the side to reveal a tied up Rain. She looked up helplessly at Vicente. There was blood dripping from a cut on the palm of her hand.

"You're a sick monster, Gavin." Vicente said. Gavin grinned. Vicente rushed forward at him with his sword drawn. Gavin moved quickly towards Rain, aiming for her throat with his dagger…

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See, we told you that we like to mess stuff up after we get it all happy!

But we'll update as soon as we can.


	17. Chapter 17

Raised in the Shadows

Disclaimer: We didn't own Oblivion yesterday...how would we own it now?

A/N:…heh…heh…it gets kinda dark here so if you're having like a bad day…we suggest that you listen to OVERLY happy music while reading this. I suggest the song "Loverly Spring" (yes spelled like that) from The Series of Unfortunate Events movie.

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Vicente rushed at Gavin with his sword drawn. Gavin moved towards Rain's throat with his dagger. Vicente missed Gavin but at least caused his hand to slip and he cut Rain's cheek instead. Rain yelped from the pain. Vicente had to refrain from taking a deep breath and inhaling the scent of her blood.

"What's the matter Valtieri is your precious little Wood Elf not important enough for you to be immune to her blood? How sad." Gavin wiped some of Rain's blood off onto his hand and licked at it.

"Well…she does taste rather good." He chuckled. Rain whimpered and held back a look of disgust.

"You sick monster. Let her go, Gavin." Vicente said angrily. Gavin's features twisted into anger.

"Last time I checked _you _were the monster Valtieri. After what you did back in Morrowind all those years ago." He said furiously. Vicente sent a flare spell at Gavin in hopes that he was distracted. Gavin was surprised at first but he was a fast thinker. He pulled Rain up to use her as a shield. He chuckled darkly as the spell hit her leg.

"Damn it…" Vicente cursed and stepped back. Rain whimpered again in pain.

"Just give it up Valtieri, you're going to lose." Gavin said. Vicente got an idea.

"If you're so certain then why bother using her as a shield. Fight with me face to face and if you win you can have Rain." Vicente tried. Gavin looked up at him. He began to idly run one of his sharp fingernails near Rain's throat.

"Sorry Valtieri, but she dies first. My orders were to kill her, not you. You're just an added bonus that I've added on for myself." Gavin said. He slowly made a small cut at Rain's throat. Vicente stopped himself for attacking. He had to keep with his plan.

"Vicente, run, go now!" Rain begged.

"Quiet you!" Gavin made a deeper cut in her throat. Rain cried out in pain.

"Come on Gavin! Fight me. Are you really so pathetic now that you'd listen to some weak person who just ordered you to kill Rain. I thought you did everything your own way." Vicente said.

"This contract isn't from just anyone. It's from my "cousin," Kaylee. I'd hate to make her angry." Gavin said darkly. Vicente's eyes widened a bit. Kaylee had set this up? Gavin was beginning to cut at Rain some more. Vicente rushed forward. He hit Gavin with Paralyze Touch.

Gavin fell backwards, unable to move. Vicente quickly caught Rain and pulled her away from Gavin. She whimpered against Vicente.

"My…throat…it hurts so bad…" She said.

"It's alright. I've got you." Vicente pushed Rain behind him, away from Gavin and handed her a healing scroll.

"Use that while I deal with Gavin." Vicente ordered.

"No…I'm…too tired. I…can't." Rain had to slowly sit down on the floor. Gavin, who had recovered from his paralysis watched with interest.

"Looks like she's going to die anyway!" He laughed. Vicente glared at him.

"Quiet. I'm going to kill _you, _Gavin." Vicente said.

"Well maybe not. I mean just look at her! She's getting paler by the second. It's great!" He laughed again. Vicente looked down at Rain. She did look pretty bad. Gavin took his chance and shot an arrow quickly at Rain. It lodged itself in her shoulder. She yelled with pain.

"Rain!" Vicente quickly kneeled down next to her to help her. Gavin ran forward, behind Vicente with his sword at his throat.

"You're easily distracted, Valtieri." He chuckled. Vicente reached back quickly and used Shocking Touch on Gavin's leg. Gavin gasped as the pain rushed through his entire body. He staggered back. Vicente quickly turned around and hit Gavin with an ice spell so he fell over. Vicente grabbed his sword and plunged it into Gavin's chest. Gavin gasped and fell still. Vicente turned back to Rain.

"Rain, I'm going to have to remove the arrow." He said, pulling her close. She whimpered.

"No, it's going to hurt so bad. Don't!" She begged.

"I have to. I know it hurts. It'll be over soon." He gripped the arrow. He was about to pull it out when he felt an incredible pain in his side. Gavin had managed to gather enough strength to stab his sword into Vicente's back. Gavin fell back, dead this time. Vicente groaned.

"Vicente?" Rain asked. Vicente leaned against the nearest wall in pain. Blood was seeping through his shirt.

"We….have to…take out that arrow, Rain. _Now._" Vicente said between gasps of pain.

"But, Vicente…" Rain didn't get to finish her sentence. Vicente reached over and quickly pulled out the arrow. Rain gasped and a wave of dizziness overtook her for a moment. But she forced herself to stay focused. Vicente looked bad.

"Help me…pull the sword…out." He said.

"Are you sure that's the best thing to do?" Rain asked quietly.

"Just pull the damn thing out!" Vicente said angrily. Rain nodded and grabbed the sword. Vicente grunted as she pulled it out quickly. He slouched against the wall and covered the wound as best as he could with his hand.

"We…need Martin." Rain gasped. Vicente was too tired to ask who Martin was. Rain muttered the best healing spell she knew to hold her wound closed for now and managed to get Vicente up the stairs. There was a break in the city walls near her house that they snuck through to get her horse. Then, with Vicente slouched against Rain and his face hidden by a hood, they rode quickly to Cloud Ruler Temple.

"Martin!" Rain shouted as she spotted him speaking with the gate's guard. He looked up worriedly.

"What?" Martin looked up at her then turned to the guard, "Go and get some healers quickly!" He ordered. The guard ran on off. Rain stopped her horse by Martin.

"Martin, you can't let any of them see his face. Just heal him yourself." She said worriedly. Martin was about to ask why when he spotted Vicente's face. _He's a vampire…_ Martin thought. He nodded at Rain.

"Don't worry. I'll take care of him." The healers were there soon and Rain and Vicente were brought into the temple. Martin took care of healing Vicente while the healers focused on Rain. She passed out at some point during the night.

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_The next morning…_

Kira woke up and groaned. She looked over at Lucien next to her. Of course he was still asleep. There's nothing that could interrupt Lucien Lachance once he's passed out.

"Lucien, come on, it's time to go." Kira said, poking Lucien's cheek. He groaned and sat up slowly. He looked around groggily for a moment.

"Are you prepared for what you have to do next, Kira?" He asked. Kira thought about that for a moment.

"Well I know what I have to do…but do you have any gold? I ran out and need to buy potions, just in case." She said.

"I think I have a bag of gold in my Speaker robes. Hand them to me." Lucien said. Kira reached over but began to search through the robes herself. Lucien decided to let her, knowing this could be amusing. Ten minutes later Kira was getting frustrated. So far she had pulled out three poisoned daggers, five enchanted short swords, nine magic rings, three keys and a human heart. Kira stared at what was probably the most random collection of objects she had ever seen.

"By Sithis Lucien, do you even have pockets in your pockets?" She asked angrily.

"Yes, in fact I do." He said. Kira groaned and threw the robes at him.

"Just get the bloody gold." She ordered. Lucien smirked and easily located the bag of gold in a few seconds. He handed it to Kira.

"Make sure you hurry. Don't spend too long looking at potions, Kira." He said.

"I know, don't worry. I'll head to Anvil, figure out who the traitor is and then meet you at Applewatch. Then we'll come up with a plan from there." Kira said confidently, despite her uneasy feeling.

"You act like this will be simple." Lucien said, standing up and pulling on his robes.

"It will be simple…I hope." Kira said.

"Don't worry. You'll come out of this just fine and continue on taking care of Erik and Moralis." Lucien said.

"Don't talk like you're going to die in a few days Lucien." Kira said. Lucien chuckled darkly.

"I want you to be prepared. If the Black Hand kills me before you reach Applewatch, don't attack any of them. Keep up the act that we were never more that Speaker and Silencer or at the most friends. They may think you really did help me kill the others if they know we're married." He leaned down and kissed Kira.

"You worry too much sometimes Kira. The main point is either I'll be dead in the next few days and you'll be the newest Speaker or we will figure this out and continue on as normal." Lucien said.

"Fine, but I'm not making any promises. If they kill you, I may not be able to hold back. I'll see you in one or two days." Kira grabbed all of her weapons and shrouded armor. Lucien kissed her one last time before activating his chameleon spell and leaving quickly. Kira left a moment later.

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Hours later Kira had reached Anvil. She ran quickly to where her next Dead Drop would be and hid. Ten minutes later a young Elvin boy approached the barrel with the Dead Drop in hand. Kira almost laughed. _This _was causing trouble for the Dark Brotherhood. Even if he was obviously hired to do the job it was still so pathetic it was funny. Kira quickly jumped up with a dagger at the boy's throat.

"What the hell are you doing?" She growled. The boy whimpered.

"I'm sorry! The robed man paid me to do this! I don't know what it's for, I swear!" He began to babble.

"Robed man? Where is he?" Kira threatened.

"By the lighthouse just outside of town! But…I think he is leaving soon. He said he was. But I think he lives in the cellar! I know there's a horrible smell coming from down there." The boy said.

"If you're lying…"

"No I'm not! I swear it! Please don't kill me! That's all I know." The boy looked on the verge of tears. Kira nodded slowly, let him go and turned quickly. She ran for the lighthouse.

"Give me the key to your cellar or you're dead." She said once she found the lighthouse's owner. He gulped and handed it over. Kira smiled pleasantly and walked to the cellar. She opened the door.

Kira almost vomited. The place smelled horrible and she hadn't even walked inside yet. She took a deep breath and walked down the stairs. There were various corpses everywhere. A dead dog, dead woman, sheep and a dead man as well as bits and pieces of other victims were scattered about. Kira walked around quietly. She heard a noise behind a nearby door.

After listening for a moment she guessed it was a dog. She picked the lock quickly and stepped back. The half-starved dog jumped forward. Kira wasted no time on it and put it out of its misery with a quick flare spell. She entered the room. On a table she found what looked like a diary. Kira opened it up…

_Kill him kill him kill him kill him kill him kill him kill him kill him kill him kill him kill him kill him kill him kill him kill him kill him kill him._

Kira read the diary. She had seen a lot of disturbing things in her 26 years but nothing like this. Whoever the traitor was they were beyond any level of insanity ever seen before. The diary ranted about how Lucien had killed the traitor's mother long ago on a contract. It told of how long the traitor had waited and now, that they would have their revenge! They didn't just want to finish off all of the Sanctuaries; they wanted to destroy the Night Mother herself!

Kira slowly closed the diary and put it in her pack to show later as proof. She turned around. She stared at the nearby table. There was a head on it. The traitor's mother's head she guessed.

"Okay, now this is just sick. Both of my parents were killed by the Dark Brotherhood and you don't see me going all psycho killer and killing people…oh wait…well you don't see me killing off the Brotherhood for revenge!" Kira shook her head with disgust and left quickly. She had to get to Applewatch.

Kira quickly bought some powerful healing potions and then rode off at top speed to Applewatch. Her uneasy feeling was getting worse. She was worried about Lucien. If the Black Hand had found him…if they had even been waiting for him…then Lucien would be dead. Or at least he'd be lying in a pool of his own blood as they tortured him.

Kira shook her head. She couldn't think like that. Finally she made it to Applewatch. She looked down at the ground. There were several footprints in the snow. The Black Hand was _here_. But it looked like they had just gotten there. Maybe she still had time…

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_He ran through the forest, easily tracking the helpless woman with his increased senses. It felt wonderful. His instincts were guiding his every move. He could run quickly, see through the darkness clearly and smell the blood that he would soon have. He spotted the woman in a clearing nearby. She had tripped and fallen down, perfect. He was ready to go in for the kill when he heard someone running up. He jumped into a nearby tree and waited._

_Soon a man appeared from the trees. The man looked distressed by not terrified like the others. He smelled the air lightly and growled. This man was a vampire too and a newly made one. The man rushed to the young woman's side._

"_Oh Gavin, thank the Gods you're here!" The woman sobbed. The man, Gavin, kneeled down next to her._

"_Ella, it's alright. I'm here now." Gavin soothed._

"_Gavin you should run. I think he was following me. He could appear at any moment. Please just run and save yourself." The woman was sobbing now. _

"_No, I'll get you out of here. Maybe he's left by now. We can run for Blacklight. If we hurry we can get out of the forest by morning when he won't follow. Or we could even run across the border to Skyrim and hide in the city of Riften." Gavin said. Ella sobbed harder._

"_I can't go on." She said. He jumped out of the tree and ran straight ahead, slamming into Gavin. The young vampire was knocked to the side. He grabbed Ella and bit into her neck. She screamed quickly before going limp. He was sure to get every drop of blood that he could. Finally, when he was satisfied, he stood up. Gavin was looking in horror at him._

"_You monster! You killed her! My dear Ella…." Gavin sobbed. He smirked back at the young vampire in front of him. The moonlight broke through the clouds providing light in the dark forest. Gavin's eyes widened._

"_You! You're that vampire that's been raging around for years now…" Gavin said through his sobs. All of his hopes for revenge disappeared. He had made a reputation for himself in the decade since he had become a vampire._

"_Damn you, Valtieri!" Gavin sobbed harder. Vicente smirked at him before turning and leaving without a word. He was finished in this tiny village. He ran until he reached the border between Morrowind and Cyrodiil. He had heard of some interesting Daedra gods in Cyrodiil. Maybe he would make this province his home for a few decades or so…_

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Vicente awoke quickly, the memory still fresh in his mind. He had been young and angry back then. At the time he had still been dealing with nightmares of his family's death. He didn't think back then, he just acted on instinct. Vicente had existed for no other purpose back then expect to kill and feed. After that night he had come to Cyrodiil. He had spent some time worshipping Daedra before the Brotherhood found him.

Vicente opened his eyes slowly and looked around carefully. Now he was cautious always. People no longer feared vampires as they had back in those days. Some people weren't afraid to kill one. He was on an old cot in a small room. The only light was from a candle on a nearby table. He spotted Rain on another cot on the other side of the room. Vicente sat up quickly.

Pain shot through him and he had to lie back down. He looked at himself. His stomach was bandaged up. There were a few other cuts and bruises but that was it. After a moment he remembered Gavin had stabbed him before dying. Vicente slowly sat up again. No pain this time. He approached Rain slowly and kneeled down next to her.

He couldn't be angry at Gavin for what he had tried last night. Vicente had done what Gavin had tried. Vicente had killed Gavin's love, right in front of him. _No, this wasn't all Gavin. Kaylee had ordered the contract for any Morag Tong member to do. _Vicente growled. He was going to talk to Lucien about this and then torture Kaylee himself. Rain groaned faintly and opened her eyes.

"Vicente?" She said quietly.

"I'm here, Rain. It's okay." Vicente said softly. She smiled at him but then she frowned and sat up.

"You shouldn't be up! Vicente what if your wound reopens?!" She said frantically. Vicente smirked at her.

"Some of the advantages of being a vampire are you heal quickly and can afford to lose large amounts of blood. My wound is probably healed enough it won't reopen. And if it does I can re-bandage it and feed. I'll be a little sore for a while but that's it." He said.

"Are you sure?" Rain asked with concern.

"Yes, I'll be fine. I've had worse. What I want to know is where in the name of Sithis are we?" Vicente asked.

"Oh, this is Cloud Ruler Temple. It's the Blades' stronghold." Rain explained. Vicente looked at her.

"The Blades' stronghold? How…never mind. Something tells me I don't want to know how you got us in here." He said. Rain laughed a bit.

"Well…there's something Kira and I haven't told you and Lucien. Our cousin is Martin Septim. He's the illegitimate son of Emperor Uriel. We found him when we lived in Bruma." Rain said. Vicente nodded.

"Really, I don't want to know. I just want to get out of here." Vicente said looking around.

"Why would you want to leave?" Rain asked.

"I've learned in my long life time to be careful of whom I trust to know I'm a vampire. I'm not going to stay here surrounded by the highest members of the law." Vicente said.

"But, you'll be safest here…" Rain said.

"Don't worry. I'll just return to your house. I'll clean up the mess from last night. As soon as you're well you can meet me there." Vicente kissed Rain quickly and then easily made his way out of a nearby window. Rain sat up to watch him sneak past guards until he left the temple. She sighed.

"Well, he's certainly an interesting fellow." Rain turned around to see Martin standing in the doorway. He walked over and sat on the edge of Rain's bed.

"I suppose he is." Rain said.

"May I ask what you were doing with a vampire?" Her cousin asked.

"Well…he's the man I'm in love with now. He's the father of my child." Rain said, placing her hand on her stomach. That reminded her.

"My baby will be fine after this right?" She asked. Martin smiled and nodded.

"You're lucky. You were both in bad shape yesterday. Do you need anything at all?" Martin asked.

"No. But I do want to leave as soon as possible. I want to keep an eye on him. I know he'll do something to hurt himself in his state…" Rain said.

"Why don't you rest for a few more hours and then I'll let you leave. What happened last night, Rain?"

"I was attacked by another vampire that had a grudge against Vicente. He saved me but we were both injured. The other vampire was killed." Rain said. Martin nodded.

"Well, I'm glad you made it out alive. But I have work to do and you need rest. I'll wake you in a few hours if you want to leave then." Martin smiled at Rain and then left. She sighed and laid back in bed, wondering what was going to happen now that they knew Kaylee had caused this.

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Lucien held back a grunt as Banus Alor kicked him in his lower regions. Lucien was on the ground, unable to really move at all, wearing only a pair of black pants and being tortured by the Black Hand. Every now and then Arquen would question why he betrayed them and he would have to insist that he _wasn't _the traitor. But did they listen? No, they never listened to him.

Lucien almost yelled out when Mathieu Bellamont made a long cut along his back. Lucien knew he was going to die, that he couldn't win a fight with them but there was no way in hell he was going to let them here him scream. Arquen used a shock spell on him. Lucien grunted lightly as pain coursed through his whole body. The other Speakers stood back for a moment.

"Admit it Lachance and we'll finish you now. Admit to being the traitor!" Bellamont said. J'ghasta kneeled down sadly next to his old friend.

"Come on Little Brother, don't make this any harder on you then it has to be…" He begged. J'ghasta had been the only one who didn't take part in torturing Lucien. He couldn't believe is best friend, his "Little Brother" could be the traitor but the proof all pointed at him.

"Go to hell." Lucien growled. This earned him another kick. But Lucien could take it. He had been beaten before. The only difference this time was that he knew he was going to die. His father had been abusive but Lucien had never thought he'd be killed by him. This time he wouldn't have to deal with the pain and nightmares after it.

The torture continued for awhile longer. Lucien wanted it to end. He could take pain. But that didn't mean he liked it. He had accepted he was going to die. He was ready for death. But then he heard something outside. The others heard it too and stopped for a moment. There was someone on a horse outside.

_Kira…_ Lucien thought weakly. He smirked. Maybe he wouldn't die today after all. He should've known Kira was too stubborn to let the traitor win this. The door opened and Kira entered. She definitely looked shocked. But why wouldn't she?

Lucien was on the ground in a pool of blood. There were several cuts on his chest and back. Three of his fingers were broken and he had bruises everywhere. J'ghasta, Arquen, Bellamont and some new member of the Black Hand that Kira didn't know were all standing around him. They all looked like they were enjoying themselves except for J'ghasta.

"Ah, so wonderful you have made it dear child. We have captured Lachance; no longer shall you be prey to his lies." Arquen said. Kira stared at her blankly. She had never really liked Arquen.

"He's not the traitor." Kira said after a few seconds.

"He is the traitor. All proof points at him!" Bellamont said angrily.

"No, he's not." Kira said again.

"Yes, he is."

"Is not."

"Is too."

"Is not." Kira said again. J'ghasta held back a chuckle. _Azrael is really getting on Bellamont's nerves._

"Now let's not be immature about this. Silencer Azrael, we know you have grown up with Lachance but he is the traitor." Alor said.

"I have proof saying he's not." Kira pulled out the diary and showed it to Arquen. She showed all of the parts where it ranted about killing Lucien.

"That is rather convincing. But how can you be sure he did not write that himself, to throw us off track?" Arquen asked.

"This isn't Lucien's handwriting. He doesn't even know how to write in cursive like that. You should know. You've probably received letters from him." Kira tried. Arquen still didn't look convinced but J'ghasta's ears had perked up.

"It's true! Lucien doesn't know cursive besides a little bit here and there. He never learned to write that way." J'ghasta said. He still hoped that Lucien wasn't the traitor. Deep down he knew he wasn't. Bellamont just looked angry. Kira wasn't sure what was going through Banus Alor's head.

"This does change things but can we still be certain?" Arquen said to no one in particular.

"I say we finish him off, just in case." Bellamont kicked Lucien again.

"Why don't we ask the Night Mother? She can tell us can't she?" Kira attempted.

"I think that is the best idea for this situation." J'ghasta said. Banus Alor shrugged.

"I have to agree." He said. Arquen nodded.

"Then we will go to speak with the Night Mother." She said.

"Wait! Who's to say this child is not the traitor? She eliminated half of the Black Hand! Her parents were killed by the Brotherhood." Bellamont said.

"Yes, but Lachance did not have anything to do with that contract. She would be foolish to willingly put herself before the Night Mother if she were the traitor anyway." Arquen said.

"We shall leave as soon as are you are ready, Silencer." J'ghasta said to Kira. Kira nodded and walked over to Lucien. She carefully helped him to his feet, murmuring healing spells. She gave him one of her potions. Lucien managed to drink some of it.

"You're taking awfully good care of him, child." Arquen observed.

"Well, I have grown up with him. He's my friend. I don't want to believe he's the traitor yet. If the Night Mother says he is though, then I'll help you kill him. But until then he's still my Speaker. I have to look after him." Kira explained smoothly. She had to help support Lucien so he could stand up. You couldn't tell by looking at him but he was shaking. He was still in great pain.

"It's alright Luke, I've got you now." Kira whispered so only he could hear. Lucien managed a weak smirk.

"Okay, I'm ready. Let's go see the Night Mother." Kira said. Arquen nodded. There was a flash of light and they were teleported to Bravil.

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Kira shook her head once they reappeared in Bravil. She felt a little disoriented. She didn't know it was possible to do that. But she had to stay steady or Lucien would fall over. The other Speakers appeared around them. They were standing by the Lucky Old Lady. Arquen started off on how truly lucky the members of Bravil were to have the crypt of the Night Mother in their town but Kira wasn't really listening. She could care less.

"Now, stand back. I shall recite an ancient spell to reveal the way to our Unholy Matron." Arquen said.

"O…k…" Kira said. She supposed she should be rather excited or honored right now but it was kind of difficult when her husband was literally dying in her arms right now. Lucien looked horrible and was panting lightly. Arquen recited some fancy old…whatever it was and the statue changed and moved away revealing a trap door. The others went in first and then J'ghasta helped Kira with Lucien. Finally they were all in the Night Mother's crypt. The Night Mother appeared.

"Dearest Unholy Matron, we, your children, come to you in our time of need." Arquen said. The Night Mother didn't look overly pleased.

"Please reveal to us if Lucien Lachance is the traitor for which we have searched." Arquen added. The Night Mother looked around at each of them.

"Lucien Lachance is not the traitor. He has served me and our Dread Father his entire life." The Night Mother said, looking at Lucien. He coughed a bit and weakly nodded his thanks.

"Enough of this! I'm going to destroy you for what you've done to me!" Suddenly Bellamont pulled out a short sword and attacked Banus Alor, killing him. He moved on to attack J'ghasta but he was ready.

"Bellamont is the traitor!" Arquen gasped. She rushed forward and helped J'ghasta fight off Bellamont before he could attack the Night Mother. Kira stood back and Lucien gave her a questioning look.

"I'm…uh…well actually I'm waiting for Arquen to be killed, then I'll jump in." Kira whispered to him. Lucien held back a chuckle, knowing it would hurt to laugh. Finally Kira got bored of watching and sent a shock spell at Bellamont. He stumbled back and was finished off by J'ghasta. The Night Mother stepped forward.

"You have done well, Kira. I have known of Mathieu Bellamont's intentions since he was a boy. But I did not tell my Listener. Ungolim was weak. I could not repay such insolence. So I have waited for one of you to realize his intentions." She said.

"Unholy Matron, now all we require is that you name a new Listener." Arquen said. The Night Mother looked them all over.

"Well, Lucien and Kira, neither of you have any interest at all in advancing." She said. Lucien and Kira nodded.

"J'ghasta, you shall be my new Listener." The Night Mother said after a moment. J'ghasta's ears perked up and then he grinned.

"Thank you, Unholy Matron. I shall not fail you." J'ghasta said.

"And now I shall return you all to the Cheydinhal Sanctuary. The one place that Lucien and Kira can truly call home. Rest, all of you. There will be new victims to send to our Dread Father." The Night Mother said. There was another flash of light…

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Vicente cleaned up the mess left in Rain's bedroom as fast as he could with his injury. He took Gavin's body and burned it and then let the ashes blow away in the cold wind. He had finally gotten rid of all the blood stains. He collapsed onto the bed and laid down for a moment.

"Vicente, I'm back." He heard Rain shout from upstairs. She walked downstairs and smirked at him. He was half-passed out on the bed. She knew he would do this. She sat down next to him.

"How are you feeling?" He asked.

"Don't worry about me. You're the one that got stabbed. Are you okay?" Rain asked. Vicente nodded.

"We should return to Cheydinhal. I'm supposed to be watching Erik, Cecilia and Moralis, remember?" He said. Rain nodded.

"Okay, it will be nighttime by the time we get out of the mountains around Bruma. Do you want to leave now?" Rain stroked Vicente's hair gently.

"Yes. The sooner I get to rip Kaylee to pieces the better." He growled.

"But isn't that against the tenants?" Rain asked.

"I'll speak with Lucien about it. Since what Kaylee set up almost had me killed she herself broke a tenant. I have the power to deal with it as I see fit." Vicente said. Rain nodded and they left for Cheydinhal.

Late that night they made it back to the Sanctuary. Vicente was quickly growing tired from his wound. Ocheeva was there to greet them.

"Brother, what has happened to you?" She asked with concern.

"I had a little run in with an old enemy vampire. It's already been dealt with. I just need to rest." Vicente said.

"So you have not heard yet then?" Ocheeva asked.

"Heard what?" Rain said.

"Lucien and Kira are here. Lucien's in bad shape. They will explain what happened. They are in their bedroom I believe." Ocheeva said. Rain and Vicente looked at each other before going to Kira and Lucien's room. Rain gasped when they entered.

Kira and J'ghasta were quickly bandaging Lucien. He had several cuts all over. The bed sheets were already stained with his blood. He looked absolutely horrible. Lucien looked at them when they walked in and chuckled weakly.

"Hey, what the hell happened to you two? You look almost as bad as me." He said darkly. Kira looked at Rain and Vicente. They were bandaged up too and Vicente's shirt was still covered in blood stains.

"…We'll tell you our little adventure if you tell us yours." Kira said. Vicente walked over to stare at Lucien.

"You two go first." Rain said, not believing what she was seeing. Lucien was the one in the Sanctuary that _never _got hurt.

"To make a very long story short we were tricked by the traitor which ended with me killing off half of the Black Hand." Kira started.

"And then of course they instantly jump to the conclusion that I really am the traitor. They found where I was in hiding and tortured me." Lucien said.

"I found the traitor's diary, showed up, convinced them to go and see the Night Mother. We got there, she said Lucien wasn't the traitor and then Mathieu Bellamont attacked, proving that he was the traitor." Kira finished. Rain and Vicente nodded slowly.

"You forgot the part where I completely kicked your ass, Lulu." J'ghasta said.

"Shut up." Lucien grunted.

"I was the one that managed to take him down before the other Black Hand members. That's the only way that I helped though." J'ghasta laughed.

"Did we mention that thanks to Jag doing that I was tortured for three hours straight?" Lucien said darkly. He was trying to put up his normal, under-control air but deep down Lucien wasn't really okay. Kira could feel him shake every few seconds.

"Well, Rain was taken hostage by a vampire that wanted revenge against me from something I did about three centuries ago." Vicente said.

"And Vicente came and fought with him but got stabbed through his side. So we had to get medical help, by riding through the snow in Bruma." Rain said. Kira sat there for a moment.

"I like our story better." She said lightly. She was affected too by what had happened but she hadn't processed it all yet.

"I should go now, Little Brother. I have new duties to fulfill as Listener. I'll stop in some time to check on all of you." J'ghasta nodded at everyone and left. Kira finished bandaging Lucien and sat on the bed next to him, running a hand through his hair quickly.

"How badly are you injured Lucien?" Vicente asked.

"I…don't really know. It's bad." Lucien said seriously.

"You're going to be fine. I won't let you die on me, Lucien." Kira said. Lucien smirked weakly at her.

"We're all tired. Lucien, there's an important matter I will need to speak with you about later. Kaylee's not at the Sanctuary, is she?" Vicente asked.

"No. She'll be back in a few days." Lucien said. Vicente nodded.

"Then we'll leave you two to rest. Let's go Rain." Vicente left the room.

"You'll be alright Lucien. You're too much of a stubborn ass to die." Rain said.

"I hate you." Lucien groaned. Rain left after Vicente. Kira helped Lucien into a better position to sleep and wrapped an arm around him. He was completely shaking now that there was no one else around.

"I've got you Lucien. It's over. It's okay." Kira said. Lucien nodded slowly. He didn't want to sleep though. He knew he was going to have nightmares about this…..about his father. Kira kissed him. Someone cleared their throat. Arquen was in the doorway, with one eyebrow raised. Kira quickly pulled away from Lucien. He glared at the other Speaker.

"Do you require something, Arquen?" Lucien managed to say with venom in his voice.

"It appears there is something you have not yet told me, Lachance." She said.

"Oh…did I forget to mention I'm married to my Silencer. Damn, I'm always forgetting. Oh and the little boy you see running around the Sanctuary is our son and the baby girl in the crib over there is our daughter…hmmm….am I forgetting anything, Kira?" Lucien said, hiding his weakness for the moment.

"You forgot the part where you mention that we really just wish Arquen would go back to her Sanctuary in Leyawiin so we didn't have to see her again." Kira added. They both glared at Arquen. Arquen looked angry but turned and left. Lucien sighed and leaned his head back.

"I hope she's attacked by Adamus Phillida out of nowhere." Lucien said.

"We can only dream." Kira sighed. She kissed Lucien again and watched him until he fell asleep. She smiled sadly. Lucien was alive…for now. But his injuries were worse than he was letting on. She was worried about him.

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Rain found Vicente in his bedroom, sharpening a dagger. He looked dark and creepy from where she was standing. His hair was messy, his bandages still had blood on them and he had a dark glint in his eye. Rain walked over to him and sat next to him on his bed.

"Are you alright, Vicente?" She asked. He looked at her.

"I'm fine. There's no need to worry about me. But how are you and the baby?" He asked, looking back at his dagger.

"The baby will be fine and I'm okay. I'm worried about you. What are you thinking about?" Rain really was concerned.

"Just planning how I'm going to kill Kaylee." Vicente said in a voice that was too pleasant for such a subject.

"You're really going to kill her? Wouldn't it be best to just have J'ghasta or even Lucien take care of it?"

"This is more personal. My instincts will force me to kill her anyway. It's part of being a vampire." Vicente gave a weak shrug.

"Well at least get some sleep. Kaylee won't even be here for the next few days right?" Rain asked. Vicente nodded. He got comfortable on his bed and fell asleep. Rain sighed and got up. She was worried about what dark thoughts were now in Vicente's head…

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THE END.

Yeah….more to come with like…blood…and assassins….and CHEESE.


	18. Chapter 18

Raised in the Shadows

A/N: The company that provides the whole town with cable and internet is off at the moment so we're typing to pass the time…and playing Oblivion.

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_He was hiding in the basement, trying to stay out of the way. He could hear his parents fighting again. Dad was drunk and angry. Mom was screaming at him for being in such a state. He didn't want to be there when they fought. There was a loud thud from upstairs and suddenly mom was quiet. He whimpered, feeling tears fall down his cheeks._

_He hated Dad. Dad was always drunk or on scooma. On the few occasions Dad was sober he only stole money to buy more alcohol and drugs. Suddenly the basement door opened and Dad walked down the stairs. He looked angry._

"_Isaac, wha' the hell are you doin' awake?" Dad growled. He whimpered again._

"_I'm goin' to bed righ' now, Pa!" He said. Dad only looked angrier and walked closer…_

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"Lucien!" Kira was shaking him. Lucien's eyes popped opened suddenly. He was panting and sweating. Kira was looking at him with worried eyes. Lucien sighed as the last of the nightmare passed. He could still remember the worst parts of his childhood when he had still been living with his parents.

"Are you okay Lucien? You were thrashing in your sleep." Kira gently moved a bit of his hair out of his eyes.

"It was just a nightmare. It's…nothing." Lucien said shakily.

"It didn't seem like nothing…" Kira said.

"Really, I-I'm fine…" Lucien tried to calm his breathing. Kira sighed and pulled Lucien close and stroked his hair. Lucien buried his face in her neck. Memories from his abusive father and the recent Black Hand incident were racing through his mind and mixing together.

"It was about your father again, wasn't it?" Kira asked. Over the years that she had spent with Lucien Kira had noticed that he did have nightmares every so often about his father. It was now four days since the traitor incident and Lucien had been having constant nightmares.

"I'll be fine. I can deal with this. You can go back to sleep now." Lucien insisted. Kira was about to protest when Moralis began to cry. Kira sighed and got up to grab her baby before sitting next to Lucien again.

"Shush baby, it's okay." Kira soothed.

"We're both here." Lucien said with exhaustion, stroking Moralis's small cheek. After a few minutes she quieted down. Lucien pulled her into his arms and stared down at her. Kira studied him for a second.

Lucien had several bandages around his chest. There was a bandage on his left cheek. Some of the fingers on his right hand were taped together after being broken. He had a tired, empty look in his eyes sometimes that Kira had never seen. Finally Moralis fell asleep in her father's arms so Kira put her back in her crib.

"Are you sure you're alright Lucien?" Kira asked as they were laying back down again.

"Yes Kira, I'm _fine._" Lucien insisted. He pulled Kira close and fell asleep again. Kira sighed and decided she should just be happy Lucien was alive…

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_A few hours later…_

Erik rain into his parent's room and poked the side of his mother's face. Kira made a face before rolling onto her side to look at him.

"Up!" Erik said simply. Kira couldn't help but smile at him.

"Okay, I'm getting up." Kira literally rolled out of bed and stood up slowly. Erik jumped onto the bed and kneeled next to his father.

"Daddy, up!" Erik said. Lucien rolled away and pretended to still be asleep. Erik simply jumped over onto Lucien's other side.

"Uuuuuupppp!" Erik said stubbornly. Lucien rolled back onto his other side and managed to grin at Kira before Erik grabbed his arm and pulled him onto his back. Erik sat on Lucien's chest.

"Up." He said again.

"I can't get up, Erik." Lucien said. Erik had a frustrated, stubborn look on his face.

"Why not?" He had been wondering why his father was staying in bed.

"I'm hurt. I have to stay in bed for a few days." Lucien said simply. Erik seemed to think about that for a minute.

"Daddy get up!" He said finally. Kira laughed. Lucien shook his head and suddenly grabbed Erik, tickling him. Erik giggled loudly and struggled to get away. Finally Lucien stopped and pushed Erik away.

"Now leave with your mother and let me sleep! Take the girl with you too!" Lucien yelled in mock anger. Erik giggled a bit before running quickly from the room, shouting for Kira to follow. Kira grabbed Moralis and turned to leave but Lucien started to cough loudly.

"Are you alright?" She asked.

"I'm fine. Don't worry." Lucien said. Kira turned away and left the room. Once he was sure she was gone, Lucien turned to the side and spat up some blood. He groaned. _That's not good…_ He thought.

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Kira walked out into the main room of the Living Quarters. Erik was sitting at the table, eating some food with Cecilia. Rain was nearby, reading a book as usual.

"Hey Rain. How's Vicente doing today?" Kira sat down, trying to get Moralis to stop fussing.

"Well he seems positive that he's going to kill Kaylee as soon as she gets back. But won't that be against the tenants?" Rain asked worriedly.

"Well…she did do something that put a Dark Brother in danger, almost killing him…I think it's okay. Besides there has to be some exception for the fact that vampires go crazy on anyone who kills their mate. Besides, all Vicente will have to do is survive the Judgment of Sithis. How hard can that be for someone like him?" Kira shrugged. Rain made a face.

"Mate? Is that how you and Lucien refer to mine and Vicente's relationship? As us being mates?" Rain said. Kira laughed.

"Well that would be the normal term. Even ask Vicente and he'll probably call you the same thing." She said. Rain shook her head.

"But still, with his injured shoulder will he be able to kill Kaylee?" Rain asked.

"Oh yeah, definitely. Vicente is at least 150 years older than her. Vicente is one of the most powerful vampires I've ever heard of aside from any vampire ancients." Kira said.

"So I really have nothing to worry about?"

"Yep, there's nothing to worry about. Vicente won't let something happen to you or Cecilia. And he'll be fine after fighting with Kaylee." Kira said confidently. At that moment Vicente walked into the room.

"Hey Vicente." Kira and Rain said together. Vicente stopped and stared at Rain.

"There's something different…" He said thoughtfully. Kira turned to her sister. Vicente was right, there was something different.

" I…" Rain started.

"Did you get taller?" Kira asked.

"No, that's not it." Vicente shook his head. Rain sighed.

"Are you wearing new makeup? Maybe a new dress?" Vicente guessed. Rain shook her head.

"Well, it's too early in the pregnancy for you to be showing so that's not it…" Kira said thoughtfully. Rain groaned.

"I GOT A HAIRCUT." Rain yelled.

"No, that can't be it." Kira said after a moment. Vicente chuckled lightly.

"I hate both of you." Rain said.

"Hey Vicente, I think Kaylee will be back today. Can I help?" Kira asked hopefully. She was just as mad at Kaylee as Vicente was.

"I'd rather deal with this myself." Vicente said.

"Old Man, Daddy's gonna be okay?" Erik asked out of nowhere.

"Yes, Lucien will be just fine. He just needs rest." Vicente said. Erik nodded.

"I was on my way to speak with Lucien right now. If you'll excuse me…" Vicente turned and left the room. He walked into Lucien's room. Vicente had to hold his breath immediately. He could smell blood.

"Lucien, you're coughing up blood now?!" Vicente said. Lucien was sitting up weakly in bed, looking very pale.

"Just a little bit." He said.

"You're not worried at all, are you?" Vicente sighed.

"No. I'll be fine; I'm not going to die now." Lucien said. Vicente shook hi s head.

"Do you need me to make a potion to help you deal with the pain?" He asked.

"I can deal with the pain." Lucien was being as stubborn as ever. Vicente kneeled down next to the bed to look Lucien directly in the eyes.

"I know you can deal with large amounts of pain, but you can't deal with this Lucien. You're a bad liar." Vicente said. Lucien tried to stare back stubbornly but then sighed and looked away.

"It hurts so bad." He said. Vicente nodded.

"I know. But we used to deal with this when you were first brought to the Brotherhood. Just after your mother died. You know how to deal with the nightmares now and what to do for the pain." Vicente said.

"I don't want Kira to worry thought…If she sees me taking so many potions she'll worry." Lucien said.

"Kira will be more worried if you continue to cough up blood. I'll make a potion for you. Don't start to worry about Kira; she's perfectly fine. You're the one who's dying." Vicente said seriously. Lucien nodded reluctantly.

"Fine, I'll take the potion…" He said. Vicente smiled reassuringly and ruffled Lucien's hair. Lucien made a face as Vicente turned to leave.

"Now get some sleep Lucien. And don't worry about the nightmares. Your father is dead, he can't hurt you anymore." Vicente said just like he used to when Lucien was six years old. Lucien nodded and laid back in bed again.

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Vicente walked out of Lucien's room, grabbed Kira's arm, handed Moralis to Rain and then dragged Kira off. She had some a stunned look on her face while Rain was left not knowing whether to laugh or fall over. Kira was dragged to Vicente's bedroom.

"What the hell Vicente?! I was trying to eat some cheese." She complained.

"We have to talk about Lucien." Vicente said.

"What? Did he say something to you?" Kira asked.

"He's coughing up blood Kira. And his nightmares do bother him more than he lets on. He used to do this kind of thing when he was a little kid. He'd hide anything that was wrong with him and pretend he was fine. He doesn't like having someone worry about him." Vicente explained.

"Well why would he care if we worried about him?" Kira asked.

"Lucien doesn't think he's worth worrying about. He's never really cared all that much about his own life. His father had him convinced he was worth nothing." Vicente said darkly. Kira sighed.

"I was worried about that. He's always acted like that I suppose. What do we need to do?" She asked.

"I have some potions that will deal with whatever's causing him to cough up blood and to help deal with the pain. But his nightmares have always been difficult to deal with. You'll have to help him with that. And he'll still be in a lot of pain, even with the potions." Vicente said. Kira nodded.

"I'll take care of him." She said. Vicente gave her the potions and explained what they would do. Kira nodded and walked back to her bedroom. Lucien was lying on his side, still awake. Kira walked in and sat down next to him on the bed.

"Lucien, I've the potions Vicente said you needed." She said. She pushed some stray strands of hair out his eyes and gasped. He was burning up with a bad fever.

"Lucien, sit up and take the potions." Kira said, helping him up. She gave him the first potion for the blood. Lucien made a face.

"Tastes bad." He muttered.

"Just take it, you stubborn bastard." Kira said. Lucien finished the potion and then took the one for pain. Lucien sighed and slumped against Kira.

"It hurts." He said finally.

"I know, but I'm here." Kira said. She wrapped her arms around him and helped him lay back in bed again.

"You should get some more sleep, Lucien." Kira said after a while.

"No. I'd rather deal with the pain instead of…the nightmares." Lucien said.

"Go to sleep. I won't let the nightmares get you. You can deal with this Lucien." Kira told him confidently. She ran a hand through his messy hair. Lucien sighed and buried his face in her neck.

"No. The nightmare…." He said stubbornly.

"I've got you. It's ok." Kira kissed his forehead and continued to mess with his hair. She knew he secretly liked that. She heard Lucien sigh again before drifting off to sleep a while later. Kira watched him sleep and held him close when the nightmare started again…

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Vicente sat in his room as he finally finished sharpening his dagger. He heard the door to his room open and smirked when he saw who it was.

"Kaylee, how did your contract go?" He asked pleasantly. Kaylee stopped for a moment. _Why is he just fine? I thought Gavin would have taken care of Rain by now… Maybe Vicente doesn't know yet…_ She thought quickly.

"It was just fine. All targets have been eliminated." Kaylee said confidently.

"I'm afraid that you missed one." Vicente said.

"What?" She asked.

"Rain's not dead. You missed one." Vicente looked up at Kaylee with a dark fury in his eyes. Kaylee felt all color fade from her face. Vicente had stopped Gavin…and now he wanted revenge on Kaylee. Vicente stood up and closed the door. He stared at Kaylee with a dark smirk and his dagger in his hand…

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_A few hours later…_

Rain walked down to Vicente's room. She hadn't seen him since he had dragged Kira off. When she got to his door, it was locked. Rain shrugged and knocked. Vicente stepped out and closed the door behind him quickly. He was covered in blood.

"Vicente, what the hell!" Rain yelled.

"I would suggest staying out of here until I clean up all of the blood." He said pleasantly. Rain noticed that he had that annoying, pleasant smirk on his face.

"Did…you did this to Kaylee?!" Rain said. Vicente nodded.

"And now I'm cleaning up what's left of Kaylee. It'll be about another hour or so…" He said.

"And you haven't been removed from the Brotherhood yet?" Rain asked in disbelief.

"No. Lucien gave me permission to kill her. With permission from a Speaker of the Black Hand I can get away with this." Vicente said.

"You are a crazy psycho." Rain said.

"Well…you're short." Vicente said before quickly entering his room again. Rain stood there, staring at the door for a moment.

"Did he just….call me…short? So what if I'm a little less than average height for a Wood Elf, that's no reason to say I'm…._short._" Rain said. She shrugged and walked away. Rain decided she would take a nap and then check in on Vicente later. As she walked down to her room she noticed Antionetta.

"Hello Antionetta." Rain said.

"Hello sister. How are you feeling today?" Antionetta asked pleasantly.

"Just fine. I'm just going to take a nap. See you later." Rain said as she walked into her bedroom. She quickly fell asleep.

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Antionetta made sure Rain was asleep before continuing down to Kira and Lucien's room. Her thoughts were filled with a dark fury. _They killed Mathieu; I'll make them pay…_ She thought angrily. Antionetta slowly approached the bedroom. She entered with her short sword drawn.

Kira and Lucien were asleep on the bed. Kira had her arms wrapped protectively around Lucien while he seemed to be mumbling something in his sleep. _I'll take out Kira first. She's the only that poses a threat at the moment._ Antionetta thought as she moved silently closer. She pulled her sword back and…

A shock spell hit her arm causing it to go numb. She dropped the sword and stumbled back from shock and pain. Lucien was awake with anger in his eyes. Kira rolled away from him, not really knowing what just happened. She spotted Antionetta with the dropped sword on the ground and understood.

"You worked with the traitor!" Kira said.

"I loved Mathieu and you two killed him!" Antionetta yelled.

"Right…well…" Kira quickly untangled herself from Lucien and had a dagger at Attionetta's throat. Kira made it quick, too tired to deal with torturing someone right now. She slit Anttionetta's throat quickly and shoved her aside. She was dead a moment later. Kira sighed and sat next to Lucien again.

"Why does everyone want to kill me out of nowhere?" He asked.

"You're such an ass that they figure no one would miss you I guess…" Kira said jokingly.

"Yeah right…I think they're just jealous of me." Lucien said before going into a coughing fit.

"You shouldn't have used such a powerful spell on her." Kira said.

"I'm fine. At least I'm not coughing up blood this time." Lucien said. They both looked over at the dead Antionetta.

"I should probably move the body shouldn't I?" Kira asked after a moment. Lucien nodded and then made a face.

"Nasty, she's starting to ooze dead person fluids! Get her out of here!" He said. Kira jumped up and began to drag the body out of the room. In the hallway she stopped as Ocheeva stared at her oddly.

"Sister…did you kill Antionetta?" She asked in disbelief. Kira stood there for a second.

"Well….she attacked me first!!" Kira whined. Ocheeva stared at her.

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_A few days later…_

After a while Kira and Vicente both explained their different reasons for killing Kaylee and Antionetta. Really neither one had done anything to break the tenants so the others accepted it and moved on. They all agreed that there had always been something off about Antionetta and that Kaylee had broken a tenant in sending a Morag Tong after Rain.

Now Rain was with Vicente. They were in her room with Rain sitting in Vicente's lap as they were kissing. Finally Rain pulled back and rolled her eyes at Vicente.

"What?" He asked.

"I still can't believe it. You killed Kaylee. I think you've still got some blood in your hair even!" Rain said, running her hand through Vicente's hair.

"I don't see how any part of it is hard to believe." He said.

"You really don't get some things as a vampire do you?" Rain asked.

"All I understood when I was killing her is that you are mine and she tried to take you away. So I killed her. It's the expected response for a vampire." Vicente shrugged.

"I still think it's weird…" Rain said.

"What, would you rather I had left Kaylee alone so she could later try and kill you and our child again?" Vicente asked.

"No…but did you have to be so brutal about it?" Rain asked.

"Yes."

"I hate you." She said.

"Why?"

"Because you just go with the flow, Vicente! Nothing ever gets to you! You are a freak." Rain said. Vicente chuckled.

"You do realize that our child will probably be just like me then." He said.

"And why is that?" Rain asked.

"Well they are going to be an Imperial Breton Wood Elf Vampire. They get most of that from me. They only get the Wood Elf from you." Vicente said simply. Rain looked at him.

"You're half Breton?"

"Yes. My father was Imperial but my mother was a Breton." Vicente explained.

"And just when I thought you couldn't get any more freakish." Rain said. Vicente just rolled his eyes and looked away.

"What, you've got nothing to say to that…freak?" Rain asked, grinning. Vicente looked at her.

"I hope you die…alone…in the rain." He said. Rain groaned.

"I told you not to make ironic comments about my name!" She said. Vicente laughed and started to kiss her again.

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Kira sat in bed, staring at the piece of cheese she was eating. There wasn't anything particularly special about this cheese. She had just found it on a plate and started to eat it.

"What are you eating?" Lucien asked sleepily.

"Some cheese. But you wouldn't want any. It tastes REALLY bad." Kira said.

"Then why are you eating it?"

"I don't know. It tastes bad and yet I can't stop eating it." Kira shrugged.

"Give me some." Lucien took a bite of the cheese. Kira was right. It did taste horrible. He made a disgusted face.

"It's bad isn't it?" She laughed.

"Yes…give me some more." Lucien took another bite of the cheese.

"This is sad. Here we are, two incredibly dangerous assassins, sitting in bed, eating bad cheese that is somehow addicting." Kira laughed.

"It is sad. But out of the two of us you're more pathetic." Lucien laughed.

"What? How am I more pathetic?"

"You just are. I'm the Speaker, you're _my _Silencer. I say you're more pathetic than me, therefore you are." Lucien explained.

"What? That can't be possible. I am a woman and you are a man. Therefore I am better than you in every way possible." Kira grinned at Lucien.

"I don't know where you get that. You can't be better than me." Lucien said.

"Of course I'm better than you! I own you Lucien. You are mine." Kira said. Lucien rolled his eyes and shifted his position on the bed, staring up at Kira. She stretched out next to him.

"I take it you're feeling better today?" Kira asked. Lucien nodded.

"A lot better. The pain isn't as bad today and I'm having fewer nightmares…" Lucien said. Kira smiled at him.

"Well I'm glad you're feeling better. I was worried about you…" Kira said. Lucien smirked at her. He pulled Kira closer and started to kiss her…

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The end!

Eh…we've got maybe a few more chapters left for this I think…not really sure.

It depends on how long we really want to drag it out.

But yeah…whoo?

They…were…happy…right?

RIGHT?

Ha ha, disgusting, addictive cheese.

Mmmmm.

….Is it wrong that when we were typing 6 year old Lucien being threatened by his father we were laughing cause we imagined them with southern accents. Go back and read it that way.

It's funny!

Oh and…you know all that stuff about how domestic violence is wrong. Seek help if you are in such a situation….


	19. Chapter 19

Raised in the Shadows

Disclaimer: We still don't own it.

A/N: You should review at the end of this because Gaaraxocfan is sick and because Wantaco79 said so.

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_Seven years later…_

Kira walked away from the hidden Dark Brotherhood graveyard. It had been almost exactly seven years since the Black Hand incident. She was 33 years old now. Kira remembered most of the Black Hand events in great detail. After about a week Lucien had started to get better and was on the path to recovery. But then he had gotten worse. It had been so horrible.

"Visiting the graveyard again, Mom?" Kira looked up to see Erik leaning against a tree.

"There's really not much else to do right now." Kira shrugged. She looked at Erik. He looked a lot like Lucien. He had the same messy black hair. He was tall like Lucien too. But he still had Kira's blue eyes.

"Well you could always give me a contract. That way at least I wouldn't have to be bored…" Erik said, raising one eyebrow.

"No. I told you; no contracts until you're 15 years old. It's only one more year." Kira grinned at her son.

"Come on! And it's not one year it's four months! What difference does that make?" Erik whined.

"Four months of training can be the difference between life and death on a contract. Your father and I had to wait just like you." Kira ruffled Erik's hair as they started walking together. He was growing now. Soon he'd probably be taller than Kira.

"Whatever." Erik pouted with his arms crossed.

"Hey I miss him too, Erik." Kira said. Erik looked away sadly.

"I'm fine. It's not that bad anymore. Besides, it won't be much longer, right?" Erik asked. Kira nodded.

"Now come on. I actually have a contract to do and you should go back to the Sanctuary." Kira said seriously.

"Can't I at least come along with you?" Erik begged.

"No. This is top secret Black Hand business. I could take you along but then I'd have to kill you. Now go on. And tell everyone I say goodbye." Kira said. Erik rolled his eyes.

"Fine. I'll see you in a few days." He said before running off towards Cheydinhal. Kira shook her head. Erik would probably grow up to be a part of the Black Hand himself one day. Kira found the hidden stables and got on Shadowmere.

"Come on girl. We've got a lot to do in Anvil." Kira said as she reluctantly turned the horse in the right direction. Kira hated Anvil. Every time she saw the lighthouse she couldn't help but remember. But Kira had a job to do. J'ghasta had said this was an important contract. The Orc that Kira had to kill was part of a team of guards that was searching for the Dark Brotherhood. Obviously this group was led by Adamus Phillida. Kira couldn't wait until someone finally got to kill Phillida. Kira sighed as Shadowmere started to gallop.

456

Erik entered the Sanctuary and walked down to Vicente's quarters. The vampire was sitting at his table, looking through several contracts as usual. Erik sat down across from him.

"My mom just left for a Black Hand contract. I found her by the graveyard." Erik said after a moment as he leaned back in his chair. Vicente looked up at him.

"Has it been so many years already?" The vampire asked.

"You have a horrible sense of time, Old Man." Erik said.

"I'm aware of passing hours and days. But years aren't all that important to me. When you can live forever why should you focus on each passing year? I suppose passing decades are fine." Vicente shrugged. There was a loud crash from down the hall and then two young girls ran into the room. The older one was chasing the other. Erik watched them run around Vicente's table with a bored expression. Vicente sighed.

"Erik, stop your sister from attacking your little cousin." Vicente said.

"No." Erik said stubbornly. _Why do I feel like I've been here before? _Vicente thought.

"Now." He ordered. Erik rolled his eyes and picked up a seven year old Moralis. The other girl quickly jumped up into Vicente's lap.

"Daddy, save me!" The girl buried her face against Vicente's shirt. The vampire sighed down at his daughter.

"It's alright Crystal. Now Moralis, why were you chasing your cousin?" Vicente said tiredly.

"Because." Moralis said. Erik grinned and ruffled her dark brown hair. Vicente sighed again.

"Just don't do it again. Erik, take your sister somewhere." He said.

"Why? I think it's fun to watch them fight." Erik said.

"Just go back to your family's hideout. Find something to do there for a while. When you come back later I'll teach you a new sword technique." Vicente said.

"Alright. Come on Moralis, let's go home for a while. I bet Tooth and Claw are missing us anyway." Erik said, referring to their wolfhounds. Moralis nodded. As she left the room with her brother she turned to stick her tongue out at Crystal before running off. Vicente shook his head. Rain walked in the room a minute later.

"Having fun having little kids around again, Vicente?" She asked, picking up her daughter. Vicente groaned.

"I barely survived you, Kira and Lucien. Now it's like having all three of you back again as kids plus having you and Kira around as adults." Vicente groaned. Rain grinned at him.

"I suppose it is a bit too much for you in your old age. Now have you seen Cecilia?" Rain asked.

"Not since earlier tonight." Vicente said, going back to the papers on his table.

"Well do you have any idea where she is?" Rain asked.

"She said something about finding alchemy ingredients or something north of town." Vicente said, not looking up.

"Will you help me look for her?" Rain asked.

"No." Vicente said simply.

"Why not? She's your daughter now too, Vicente!" Rain said. Crystal giggled a bit at her mother's angry expression.

"Crystal is _my _daughter. Cecilia is _your _daughter. You can go find her while I keep an eye on Crystal. Have fun." Vicente grabbed Crystal from Rain and smiled. Rain rolled her eyes and left the Sanctuary quickly. Vicente looked down to study his six year old daughter.

She looked mostly like Vicente with short brown hair, pale skin and vampire red eyes. But she did have pointy ears like her Wood Elf mother. She was definitely different from her older sister, Cecilia. Cecilia was now 13 years old and had grown up quite a bit. Her black hair was mostly down to her shoulders with some parts that slanted up by her ears. She was more responsible than Erik but still very shy around strangers.

"Daddy, I'm huuungry!" Crystal said. Vicente smiled at her.

"Alright, let's get something to eat then." He stood up with her in his arms and walked off to the Living Quarters.

456

Rain found Cecilia a ways away from town, searching for alchemy ingredients. Cecilia was carefully searching in the grass for anything useful and putting it in a sack nearby. She looked up as she heard Rain approach.

"Hi Mom." Cecilia said.

"Hey Cecilia. What kind of ingredients are you looking for?" Rain asked.

"I'm looking for healing ingredients for a health potion. Ocheeva asked me to help restock the supplies. Do these look helpful?" Cecilia held up a flower for Rain to look at.

"Yes, that looks good. I'll help you look for more." Rain kneeled down to search for other flowers. They worked in comfortable silence for a while.

"Hey Mom, do you ever miss Uncle Luke?" Cecilia asked quietly. Rain looked at Cecilia before staring up at the midnight sky.

"Sometimes. He was like a really annoying older brother to me. It's weird when he's not around but most of the time I just worry. Kira probably misses him the most and though Vicente won't admit it, he misses Lucien too. Lucien was like Vicente's son." Rain explained.

"When did he first come to the Sanctuary?" Cecilia asked.

"I think Lucien was raised in the Sanctuary from age six. His mother had died and his father had just left them. Vicente and Christine, the Speaker back then, had raised him. I've known him since I was 3 years old." Rain said distantly. That all seemed so far away.

"Did he ever have a brother-sister relationship with Aunt Kira?"

"No. Even when we were kids it seemed like Kira still owned Lucien in her own way. They started to fall in love when Kira was 15." Rain smiled at some fond memories.

"That seems kind of young. That's only two years older than me!" Cecilia said.

"Well nothing really serious ever went on between them for a few years. I think Kira had Erik when she was 19." Rain said. Cecilia nodded.

"What about your past, Mom? What were your parents like?" She asked.

"Well my Imperial parents I remember best. Alexial was serious and tough. He was one of the best weapons masters of all time probably. Asana was kind and caring. She was good at alchemy and healing spells. Even as a child I preferred her to Alexial. I don't remember my real parents." Rain said.

"Did Aunt Kira get along better with Alexial?" Cecilia asked.

"I don't think Kira really liked either of our parents. But she did get along better with Alexial. He used to take her on trips to the Imperial City even when she was young. Kira had an older brother before I was adopted." Rain said.

"Really?" Cecilia had never heard about this before. Rain nodded.

"His name was Erik. Apparently he was much older than Kira, probably even a little older than Lucien. He was bitten by a werewolf…." She said.

"What happened to him?" Cecilia liked to hear about werewolves since she had been told about her father, William.

"I think he was attacked by the townspeople. They killed him. That's what made Kira so dark even at a young age." Rain said grimly. Cecilia nodded.

"Well this should be enough ingredients. Let's head back to the Sanctuary." Rain said, standing up. Cecilia nodded and they returned quickly to the Sanctuary.

456

_Kill him kill him kill him kill him kill him kill him kill him. _The words flashed before Kira's eyes as she sat up quickly in bed. She was staying at an inn outside of Anvil. She sighed. She still remembered every detail of Bellamont's diary. What had happened to Lucien was Bellamont's fault. Kira was glad he was dead. _Try to think of something happier. Don't focus on Bellamont…_ Kira thought to herself. She sighed and laid back in bed.

456

"_Shut up J'ghasta. Just because you're the Listener now doesn't mean you get special attention." Lucien said from his position on the bed. Kira was sitting next to him. J'ghasta had come to check up on his Little Brother._

"_Don't you realize how special this is, Lulu? I'm the thumb of the Black Hand!" The Khajiit said with enthusiasm. He was wiggling one of his thumbs around. Kira chuckled and shook her head. Lucien leaned back and thought about that for a moment._

"_Well then…I call being the middle finger!" Lucien said, flipping off J'ghasta. Kira and J'ghasta laughed._

"_You should be glad you're still recovering, Little Brother. As soon as you're healed I'm not taking such defiance! I'll expect you to listen to me and respect me." J'ghasta said._

"_Jag, I will never respect you. And why would I want to listen to the crazy ramblings of an old Khajiit?" Lucien grinned at his friend._

"_Kira, I hope you'll be sure to punish him for these disrespectful comments once he's better." J'ghasta said._

"_Oh don't worry. I'll take care of that for you, J'ghasta." Kira laughed. _

"_I must leave once again. I'll stop by in a month or so. Feel better, Little Brother." J'ghasta stood up and ruffled Lucien's hair before leaving the bedroom. Lucien rolled his eyes._

"_I wish everyone would just over look the fact that I'm wounded right now." He said, leaning against Kira. She played with his hair._

"_Oh come on. Deep down I know you like all the attention. Besides, you'll be better soon, right?" Kira asked._

"_I hope so. I've been feeling a little weak recently but that's it. No pain and fewer nightmares." Lucien said. Kira nodded._

456

Kira woke up hours later, smiling at the old memory. She missed Lucien. But she had Black Hand work to do. She grabbed her equipment and snuck into Anvil. The Orc she had to kill would be on duty now. Unfortunately, he was guarding around the Lighthouse.

Kira spotted the Orc from where she was hiding. The only advantage to the Black Hand incident was that she now knew every great hiding spot around the Anvil Lighthouse. Kira pulled out her sword and prepared to attack. She wasn't letting this Orc escape. Kira rushed forward and attacked…

456

_A few nights later…_

Kira climbed down the ladder into Fort Farragut. She had killed the Orc but it had attracted attention. She had to run from the guards in the city and then hide out in the woods for a day. She was tired and covered in dirt and blood. She was glad to be home.

"Hey Erik, Moralis, I'm back!" Kira said. Her kids appeared from out of their bedrooms. Erik was followed by Claw. Behind Moralis there was a grey and black male wolfhound, Tooth.

"Hey Mom! How'd the contract go?" Erik asked.

"Fine. I ran into a little trouble with the guards but I'm mostly fine." Kira sat down in a chair.

"Mama, this note came for you…" Moralis said, digging a piece of paper out of her pocket.

"Why didn't you show that to me?" Erik asked.

"'Cause it's for Mama, not you." Moralis said. Kira took the note and opened it. There was only one word written.

_Soon._ Kira grinned and showed it to her children. They both smiled broadly.

456

Vicente reread the contract in his hands. It was a very important contract from J'ghasta. This contract had been specifically ordered by the Night Mother herself. He had to give it to Kira the next time he saw her.

"What's that?" Rain asked. They were sitting in the living room of her Cheydinhal house.

"It's a contract to kill Adamus Phillida. Kira's very lucky…" Vicente said.

"What? She gets to take out Phillida?! That's great. The Brotherhood won't have to worry about him now." Rain said. Vicente nodded.

"I wonder if Kira is back from her most recent contract…" Vicente said thoughtfully.

"She probably is taking her time. It was in Anvil after all. She'll want to take some time to get the memories out of her head." Rain said.

"Well I hope she doesn't take too long. It's important that Phillida is killed soon." Vicente said. They heard the front door open and in walked Kira.

"Oh good, I need to speak with you Kira." Vicente said. Kira raised one eyebrow.

"What? Just straight to business? You're not gonna ask me how my contract went or if I've heard any important news?" Kira asked.

"I know, he really has no manners. I'll try to work on that." Rain said.

"Just shut up and read this contract Kira." Vicente handed it to her. Kira stared in disbelief after she finished reading.

"I get to kill Phillida?" She said, grinning. Vicente nodded.

"It's very important Kira. You should leave as soon as possible." He said. Kira nodded.

"Well, I'll leave in a few days." She said.

"Why not leave now? Aren't you excited?" Rain asked.

"I am. But I got a note too." Kira pulled out the short note and showed it to Vicente and Rain. Vicente smirked after he read it.

"Well then, I suppose you have a good reason to wait to complete this contract. You'll be able to leave in about three or four days then?" He said. Kira nodded.

456

_Two days later, early morning…_

Kira was sleeping in her bedroom. She had spent the last two days, waiting anxiously. Mostly she had spent time training. She was working towards becoming a weapons master, like her father. It was the only thing she had ever admired about him.

Erik and Moralis were staying at the Sanctuary today. Kira stirred when she heard the trap door open but she didn't wake up. She rolled over in her sleep, facing the other way. Someone approached the bed and smirked down at her. _She's still such a deep sleeper…_ They thought. Kira stirred lightly and opened her eyes sleepily.

"Glad to see you're awake." They said. Kira sat up quickly.

"You're back!" Kira wrapped her arms around Lucien and pulled him onto the bed. He laughed, holding her close and kissed her.

"Yes, I'm back. Didn't you get my note?" Lucien said after a moment.

"Lucien, you've been gone almost a year." Kira said, kissing him again.

"I know, I know. I was gone longer than we thought and I didn't write and you were worried. It couldn't be helped." Lucien said. He had been gone on a special assignment in Skyrim. He and Arquen had to work together to destroy another assassin group that was threatening the Dark Brotherhood.

"How was Skyrim?" Kira asked after a moment.

"I hate Nords. I'm never going back there, _ever _again. But you'll be glad to know Arquen was killed." Lucien said.

"Seriously?" Kira said in disbelief. Lucien nodded.

"That's great…..wait. Is it wrong that we're happy one of our own is dead?" Kira asked.

"No. Who doesn't hate Arquen? But that's not important. J'ghasta is dealing with the final details but my part is done. I'm never leaving Cyrodiil without you again." Lucien said, burying his face against her neck.

"Well now that you're back I no longer have to play substitute Speaker. I can go back to my normal Silencer duties right?" Kira asked.

"Yes." Lucien said.

"Good. Then I won't get distracted by anything when I go to kill Adamus Phillida." Kira said, grinning. Lucien looked at her.

"You get to kill Phillida?" He said in disbelief.

"Yep."

"Damn…I wanted to kill him…" Lucien pouted. Kira chuckled.

"We can talk about everything else later. You've gotta be tired Lucien." Kira said.

"Not really…" Lucien held Kira tighter and kissed her again…

456

_That night…_

Lucien walked down into Vicente's room. Vicente was reading a book and didn't bother looking up. Lucien raised one eyebrow before sitting down across from the vampire and leaning back in his chair.

"So how are things?" Lucien asked after a moment. Vicente looked up as if he had just noticed Lucien.

"You're back." He said.

"Really? I hadn't noticed yet." Lucien said.

"I was just beginning to realize you were gone. How long has it been? Three hours?" Vicente said.

"You missed having me around." Lucien said.

"Why would I miss you? All you do is eat the Sanctuary's food and sleep with Kira." Vicente said. Lucien grinned at him. Rain walked in.

"Lucien, you're back!" She said.

"Why do you two and Kira always state the obvious?" Lucien asked.

"Don't be an ass." Rain said as she hit Lucien.

"Ow, is that any way to greet your favorite brother-in-law?" Lucien said.

"You're my only brother-in-law." Rain said. Lucien shrugged.

"I just stopped by to get my children. Where are Erik and Moralis?" He asked.

"They're still asleep in the Living Quarters." Vicente said.

"Perfect." Lucien got up and quickly headed down to the Living Quarters. He said hello to Cecilia and Crystal before opening the door to the room Erik and Moralis were sharing at the moment.

"What the hell are two still doing asleep? Get your asses out of bed!" Lucien shouted. Erik fell out of bed with shock while Moralis sat up quickly. She grinned and ran over to her father.

"Daddy's back!" She laughed as she hugged Lucien. Erik stood up and smiled at his father. Lucien hugged Moralis before grinning at Erik. He never gave up a chance to embarrass his son.

"Aren't you going to give me a hug, Erik?" He asked.

"What? No way." Erik said stubbornly.

"Give me a hug." Lucien said, opening up his arms and walking closer.

"No." Erik said.

"Too bad." Lucien said. He started to hug his son.

"DAD!" Erik groaned and started to attack his father. Lucien stepped back and began to hit back. Kira walked into the room.

"What the hell is going on in here?" She asked.

"Erik hit me!" Lucien said quickly.

"Dad invaded my personal bubble!" Erik said. Kira looked at both of them and then down at Moralis.

"Who started this?" Kira asked.

"Daddy did." Moralis said after thinking.

"What? I did not." Lucien crossed his arms defiantly.

"Lucien! You haven't even been back for one day and already you're causing trouble!" Kira said. Erik laughed and stuck his tongue out at Lucien. Lucien rolled his eyes.

456

And you thought Lucien was dead.

Admit it.

HA! Weesa got you!

Ooohhh, burn.

(dances stupidly)


	20. Chapter 20

Raised in the Shadows

Disclaimer: We really don't own Oblivion.

A/N: Gaaraxocfan decided last night that we should do a Valentine's Day chapter for both of our two stories. So now I am stuck in the back of my parents' car, driving to Nebraska in a snow storm and typing! Be grateful for this chapter.

456

_Two months later…_

"Come on you guys." Rain said. Vicente and Lucien glared.

"I thought you two would do anything for your daughters." Kira said, placing her hands on her hips.

"We'd do _almost _anything. Not this." Lucien said.

"I absolutely refuse." Vicente crossed his arms stubbornly.

"It'll be fun." Kira and Rain said together.

"No. We won't do it." The men said together. Rain and Kira slapped them.

"Ow, what the hell, Kira?!" Lucien yelled. Vicente glared at Rain.

"That was mature." The vampire said. The girls groaned.

"This isn't about being mature!" Rain said.

"Now get off your ass and go play dress up with your daughters!" Kira yelled, pointing out the door of Vicente's room.

"No." The men wouldn't budge.

"Why not?"

"Because we're us." Vicente said.

"We're Lucien Lachance and Vicente Valtieri. We don't do this kind of thing." Lucien said.

"Don't you love your daughters?" Rain said.

"You can't guilt us into this. We're serial killers. We're still not doing it." Vicente said.

"Why don't you two do it?" Lucien tilted his head to the side.

"Because, Mr. I'm-Such-A-Brilliant-Speaker-For-the-Black-Hand, Adamus Phillida just retired. I have to go to Leyawiin and kill him." Kira said.

"And I'm helping her break into his successor's office so she can put his finger in the guy's desk." Rain said.

"No." Lucien and Vicente said.

"Fine then. Vicente, you'll be sleeping here on that rock slab for a while then." Rain said.

"And Lucien you can just sleep in the creepy room with all of the dead bodies with their hearts ripped out." Kira said.

"What?" The two men faltered for a moment.

"If you two don't do this then you won't be sleeping in our beds anytime soon." Kira said. Vicente and Lucien glanced at each other uneasily. They had to choose between their pride and the right to sleep in their own beds.

"Now either you two can sleep alone for the next few weeks or you can be men and go play dress up with your daughters!" Rain said. The men had uncertain looks on their faces. Finally they nodded at each other with determination.

"No." They said finally.

"Alright then. Have fun sleeping alone. We'll be back from Leyawiin soon." Rain said.

"Have fun in the creepy dead body room, Luke." Kira said. She flipped off Lucien before leaving with her sister.

"Hey I happen to _like _the creepy dead body room!" Lucien shouted back. He and Vicente sighed and sat down at the table.

"Do you think we're going to regret this later?" Vicente asked. Lucien shrugged.

"I'm not sure. At least you're not bound by marriage to Rain. If anything ever went terribly wrong between you two, you could leave. I'm stuck with Kira…" Lucien said.

"Rain has been talking about marriage though…." Vicente said.

"….So if you married her, would that make you my brother-in-law or would you still be my adopted father?" Lucien asked.

"I'm still trying to figure out if Kira is my adopted daughter and Crystal is my other daughter but Rain's daughter too, does that make Crystal Kira's niece or adopted half sister?" Vicente said.

"But if you're Kira's adopted father and Rain is Kira's adopted sister does that mean you're sleeping with your other daughter?" Lucien said. Vicente shrugged.

"If you're my adopted son and Kira is my adopted daughter, are you sleeping with your sister?" Vicente wondered. They both sighed. They were only getting confused.

456

"So are you going to use the Rose of Sithis to kill Phillida?" Rain asked as they rode to Leyawiin.

"I don't think so. I have horrible aim with bows and arrows. Let's just follow Phillida for a while and learn his routine before we plan anything." Kira said. Rain nodded.

"Hey, when we're in Imperial City do you want to sneak into the royal palace to see Martin?" She asked. The Oblivion Crisis was finally over. Martin and the two heroes Revan and Olaf managed to save the day and prevent Mehrunes Dagon from crossing over to Cyrodiil.

"Sure, that might be fun. Can you imagine the look on his face when we pop up out of nowhere?" Kira laughed.

"It'll be great!" Rain agreed. They rode in comfortable silence for a while.

"You know…It's probably a good idea that we didn't have the guys play with Crystal and Moralis. Lucien would've had to borrow some pants or something from Vicente." Kira said thoughtfully.

"Why?" Rain asked.

"Because he's not wearing _anything_ under his Speaker robes today." Rain nearly fell off her horse laughing.

"Why not?" She asked once she finally got her composure.

"Well…a couple days ago we were…y'know…and then one of the wolf hounds comes running in with a message from J'ghasta. It was some urgent thing in Bruma so we had to rush there right away. No time to grab much besides our weapons. Since we just got back earlier, Lucien hasn't had time to stop at Fort Farragut yet." Kira said. Rain shook her head.

"And I thought Vicente was a freak." She said. Kira shrugged and laughed.

"Hey, tell me again why you've waited two months to kill Phillida." Rain said.

"Well, I thought about doing it when I first got the contract but then I heard he was going to retire. It'd be much easier to kill him now instead of when he was still working as an important guard in Imperial City. He'd either be on duty, sleeping in the barracks or with Hieronymus Lex. Now all I have to worry about is his new bodyguard." Kira explained.

"So will you need me when you're actually killing him?" Rain asked.

"Probably not. Unless you wanted to distract the bodyguard." Kira said.

"No way! I can't fight a trained bodyguard." Rain said. Kira chuckled.

"Alright, but stay nearby when I'm killing Phillida. We'll probably have to make a quick escape from the city." She said. Rain nodded. They hurried to Leyawiin.

456

_Two days later…_

After following Adamus Phillida for two days, Kira concluded that he was a very boring man. She was now preparing to kill him. She had learned that every night he would take a walk along the lake without his bodyguard. Kira would kill him and then make a run for it with Rain before any other guards were alerted.

"Are you all set Rain?" Kira asked. Rain nodded.

"Yep. You'll take out Phillida and I'll be waiting nearby with the horses. We'll hurry to Imperial City, say hello to Martin and then hurry back to the Sanctuary to torture Vicente and Lucien." Rain said. They left their inn quickly. Soon they were hiding in the shadows, watching Phillida slowly walk closer.

Phillida walked calmly along the lake, watching the sunset. He was enjoying his retirement after so much hard work. His only regret was that he hadn't caught the Dark Brotherhood but there was no use worrying over it now. Other guards would continue the search. The Brotherhood couldn't last forever.

He was deep in thought. It was almost the anniversary of the night he had killed Christine Chandra, one of the top Dark Brotherhood members. But something still bothered him from that night. Phillida wondered from time to time what Alexial Azrael's daughters were doing with the Brotherhood. Phillida was sure it was them. When he had met Alexial his older daughter had been right there…

456

_Many years earlier…_

"_This sure is some party, huh Phillida?" Another guard asked. Phillida nodded. They were at the Azrael house for a party celebrating Alexial's most recent accomplishment. Everyone knew Alexial hated these parties but his wife insisted on them._

"_It's great. The Azrael family is very lucky." Phillida said._

"_Have you met Master Alexial yet?" The guard asked. _

"_No. What's he like?"_

"_Well for one he's a lot younger than you'd think. He couldn't be more than six or seven years older than us! He's kinda scary too. Very quiet and kind of angry looking." The guard said. _

"_Wow. He's young but still already a weapons master?" Phillida said in disbelief. The guard nodded._

"_You should meet him. He's standing over there with his two kids and wife." The guard pointed towards the front of the room. Phillida nodded and walked away._

_Alexial wasn't hard to spot. He was sitting at a table with several important guard captains and their wives. His wife was at his side, enjoying the party like the others but Alexial just looked bored. He was twirling a dagger around that was slowly ripping up his hand but he didn't seem to notice. In his lap was a young girl probably three years old. Next to Alexial was his teenage son._

_Alexial looked tall and strong. His brown hair was cut short but was still fairly messy. His eyes were sharp and watchful. His wife had long black hair, like their son. Their daughter looked mostly like Alexial._

"_Ah, look here Alexial. This is one of my most promising young guards. Adamus come sit over here!" Captain Scarlett yelled happily. He was Phillida's mentor and leading officer in the Imperial City. Phillida nodded and sat down._

"_This is Adamus Phillida. He's one of my best students." Scarlett boasted proudly. Phillida smiled modestly._

"_How wonderful. I'm Asana Azrael. Obviously you must know Alexial and this is our son Erik and daughter Kira." Alexial's wife said kindly. The boy, Erik, smiled politely. He was probably 14 or 15 years old. The little girl, Kira, just glanced in Phillida's direction. She looked just as bored as her father. _

"_It's nice to meet all of you." Phillida said._

"_If you're training under Scarlett then you must be going into the tracking division of the guards, correct?" Alexial asked. He looked a little less bored. Phillida nodded._

"_Yes sir. I think I can be of the most benefit there." He said._

"_Will you try to track escaped criminals or go for the real challenges and try to find the Thieves Guild or even the Dark Brotherhood?" Alexial asked._

"_I want to take down the Dark Brotherhood. A group as terrible as them must be stopped." Phillida said with determination. Alexial smirked._

"_Wha's the Dark Brot'erhood?" Kira asked. Alexial looked down at his daughter and frowned._

"_They're a very bad group Kira. Stay away from anyone or anything that has to do with them." He said._

"_Alexial, you'll scare her." Asana said. Kira was frowning slightly at her father. It looked like she was trying to think about something but couldn't really focus._

"_Hey what about those werewolf rumors up here in Bruma? What are you doing about that Alexial?" Scarlett asked. Phillida thought he saw Alexial glance at his son quickly._

"_We've taken care of it. The strongest werewolf was killed during the last full moon." He said quickly._

"_I heard there still might be one more around. Are you going to search for it?" Another guard captain asked._

"_This one hasn't killed anyone or caused harm. As far as I'm concerned it can come and go as it pleases. It's not like the other one." Alexial said smoothly._

"_Are you sure? I bet Adamus here could help you track it." Scarlett said. _

"_I said I've taken care of it." Alexial said dangerously. Everyone quickly dropped the subject. Erik nervously took a drink of water. Phillida noticed his right hand was bandaged. _

"_Have you all heard our wonderful news yet?" Asana asked to break the silence. The other guards shook their heads._

"_We've decided to adopt a child. We found a beautiful little Wood Elf girl named Rain. We're so happy she's going to join our family in a few months." Asana said brightly. _

"_Well that's wonderful! Congratulations, Alexial." Scarlett said warmly. Alexial nodded._

"_I can't wait to have another little sister. And I bet Kira will be glad she won't be the baby of the family." Erik grinned at his sister. She stuck out her tongue at him. Talk moved on to other matters and details about each of the guard captains' lives and families…_

456

Phillida was positive the two girls he had seen were Alexial's daughters. The Azrael family was known for its stubborn and disobedient members. Phillida wouldn't be surprised if the girl, Kira, had joined the Dark Brotherhood because her father had said they were bad. The young Wood Elf girl that they had adopted months later would just follow her sister.

Phillida shrugged to himself and turned to face the lake. It was a beautiful evening. His close friend, Hieronymus Lex, would be meeting him out here soon. Apparently Lex had been transferred out of the Imperial City and wanted to at least take a short break before the transition.

A dark shape jumped out of the shadows and knocked Phillida to the ground. Phillida reacted quickly and rolled away, pulling out his sword. The assassin's sword nearly stabbed him in the chest. Phillida paused. He knew this sword. It was the Azrael family sword. He quickly jumped to his feet.

Kira swore and pulled her sword out of the ground. She was prepared to fight Phillida. He would pay for all the trouble he had caused the Dark Brotherhood.

"I don't believe it. It is you." Phillida said. Kira paused and raised one eyebrow at him.

"You know me?" She asked curiously.

"You are Alexial Azrael's daughter. I knew it!" Phillida said.

"That's unimportant. You're going to pay for everything you've done to my family…" Kira said darkly. Phillida glared angrily at her.

"Your _family!_ You mean the Dark Brotherhood. How could you, of all people, call them your family? They _killed _your parents!" Phillida shouted. Kira shrugged.

"I never cared much for them." She said simply. Phillida was furious. The Dark Brotherhood had destroyed the ties that Kira should have had with her real family.

Kira jumped forward and attacked Phillida. Phillida tried to move away but her sword quickly changed direction and cut his shoulder. He gasped and staggered back from the pain. Kira easily stayed in motion. Her attacks kept coming. Phillida barely had time to block and no time to attack. He knew this fighting style. Alexial was known for his impossible attack techniques. This girl had to be close to becoming a weapons master such as her father. Finally Phillida's sword was knocked from his hand and he was knocked back.

"Go to hell, Phillida." Kira said, moving in for the kill. Phillida glared at her. He wasn't afraid of death. Before he was killed he spotted a female Wood Elf nearby and a familiar figure running towards him along the coast. Then everything went black…

456

"Adamus!" Hieronymus Lex shouted. Kira glanced back. She swore. There was Lex, running at her angrily. She quickly cut off Phillida's finger with the ring on it and started to run. Rain was waiting right there with the horses. Kira jumped on quickly.

"Come on. Lex will definitely have every guard in Leyawiin after us in minutes." She said urgently.

"Fantastic." Rain said, getting on her horse. They rode off as fast as they could away from the town. Soon they were in the forest and on their way to Imperial City.

"Damn it!" Lex cursed and then kneeled down next to the body of his old friend. He sighed in defeat.

"Poor Adamus. I've been outsmarted by the Grey Fox and you've been killed by the Dark Brotherhood. We've both failed…" He said softly. Lex's hand balled into a fist. He wouldn't let the Dark Brotherhood get away with this. He shouted for the guards and began organizing a search party…

456

_Hours later…_

"That was great!" Kira laughed once she was sure they were safe. Rain nodded and laughed too.

"I can't believe Phillida is finally dead!" Rain said.

"Yeah…but that was weird. He knew who I was." Kira said.

"How?"

"He probably met Dad once and saw me with him." Kira shrugged.

"Oh well, no need to worry about that. Now let's just sneak into Imperial City and place his finger in his successor's desk." Rain said. Kira nodded and they entered the city. Soon they had placed the finger in the desk and were quietly walking around the city.

"Do you think we could visit Martin?" Rain asked. Kira shook her head.

"No. By now word will have reached the city that Phillida has been murdered. If we try to break into the palace to see Martin and get caught they'll know we killed Phillida and think that we're trying to assassinate the emperor. Let's at least give Martin some time to reproduce before we try to kill him." Kira joked. Rain shook her head.

"I guess it would be bad if Martin found out about us being part of the Dark Brotherhood. Let's head home…" She said. Kira found a discarded paper on the ground.

"Oh so that's the date today." She said after reading it quickly.

"What's the date?" Rain asked.

"It's the start of the season for those who were born under the sign of the Lover. And here we are making the guys sleep alone." Kira said.

"We're eviler than I thought we were." Rain chuckled.

456

"We leave for maybe 12 hours and all we asked you two to do is play dress up with your daughters. Instead you sat here and played cards?" Rain asked. Vicente and Lucien nodded without looking up from their game.

"If you want we could all play strip poker." Lucien grinned at Kira. She hit the back of his head. Vicente chuckled.

"We told you we weren't going to play dress up." The vampire said.

"You two are hopeless." Kira said. She grabbed the back of Lucien's hood and pulled him out of his chair.

"Just do it, you idiot." She said. Lucien stared down at her. Rain sat down next to Vicente and glared at him.

"_Now._" She said. Lucien and Vicente moved a few inches away from Kira and Rain.

"Why can't you just make Cecilia and Erik do it?" Lucien almost whined.

"We're not going to do that to them! Cecilia is busy and that would scar Erik for life!" Rain said.

"Just do it. Or remember where you'll be sleeping for a while." Kira threatened. Vicente and Lucien glanced at each other and sighed in defeat. Kira and Rain grinned. Rain slowly pulled out a tiny top hat and placed it on Vicente's head. Kira placed a fez on Lucien. They both put monocles on Lucien and Vicente's left eyes. The two men looked like they were crying on the inside.

456

"Kira, do we have anything to eat?" Lucien asked. Kira looked up from the book she was reading on their bed.

"What the hell, Lucien?! Why are walking around naked?" She asked.

"I had to work for three hours to get all the stuff off my Speaker robes. That contract J'ghasta had us do was messier than you think." Lucien said.

"You're lucky the kids aren't here. You could have scarred Moralis for life." Kira shook her head. Lucien grinned at her and threw his now relatively clean robes on a nearby chair.

"But seriously, do we have any food?" He asked again. Kira shrugged.

"Why don't you go out in all your manly glory and kill something for dinner." She said. Lucien sighed.

"We really don't have anything?" He asked.

"We might have a few apples, that may or may not be poisoned, and some venison. And for the love of Sithis, put some pants on!" Kira said, throwing a pair of pants at her husband. He continued to grin at her.

"No. It's my fort; I'll do whatever the hell I want." He said. Lucien walked off into the other room in search of his dinner. Kira went back to reading her book. It was often she got to read. The only books Lucien ever had lying around were The Five Tenants and a few others on alchemy or sword techniques. She had borrowed this one from Rain. Kira finished the book and walked into the other room. Lucien was nowhere to be seen.

"Well okay then…" Kira said. She looked up when she heard the trap door open. Rain climbed down the rope ladder.

"Hey Kira. Did you finish that book?" Rain asked.

"Yeah. I left it in the bedroom. I'll get it." Kira walked back into the other room. Rain looked around for a place to sit. To her left there was a table covered in alchemy ingredients…and blood. There was also another table covered with tools made for sharpening weapons…and blood. Finally she looked at the table that she guessed Lucien and Kira ate at. It only had a few specks of blood here and there.

"Hey Rain." Rain heard Lucien walk in the room.

"Hey, do you have any tables that aren't covered in….What the hell?" Rain quickly covered her eyes and looked away. She heard Lucien laugh.

"Here's your book…Lucien! Could you behave yourself for at least five minutes?!" Kira shouted at him.

"Just make him leave the room!" Rain shouted. Lucien grabbed an apple, inspected it quickly for poison and walked off with it. Kira shook her head and sat down next to Rain.

"Never. _Again._" Rain said. Kira laughed.

"Sorry. Sometimes it's like having three children and no husband." She said. Rain looked at her.

"Why does he have a tattoo that close to his….?" Rain asked. Kira shrugged.

"I…really don't know. He's had it for as long as I've been with him. Just be happy you've got Vicente who has been trained by women for over three centuries. He's all fancy and _sophisticated_." Kira said.

"Vicente's not always like that. Sometimes he can be almost as bad as Lucien. I don't think it'd be possible to be _as bad _as Lucien." Rain said, looking around.

"Yeah…well…he's mine at least. So I can keep a grip on the terror that is Lucien Lachance and protect the world." Kira laughed. Rain stood up.

"I'm going to leave before he comes back again. Have fun protecting the world from this horrible…whatever he is." Rain quickly left. Lucien walked back in.

"See what you do? Now you've scared my sister so much that she may never come back here." Kira said.

"Good. That way we'll have more food." Lucien said. He had finally pulled on some pants. He sat down right next to Kira and pulled her onto his lap.

"What?" She asked as he stared at her.

"I played with Moralis and Crystal. You _owe _me." Lucien said. Kira rolled her eyes and quickly kissed him.

"But you just got dressed again…" She started to fake complain. Lucien shook his head and kissed Kira.

456

"Remind me next time I go to their hideout to stare directly down at the floor." Rain said as she walked in the bedroom of her house.

"Why?" Vicente asked. He was relaxing on the bed after feeding recently.

"Let's just say I got to see more of Lucien than I ever wanted to." Rain shivered and sat down next to the vampire. Vicente laughed.

"Did you see the tattoo he has above his…?" Vicente started.

"_Yes_, I saw the tattoo. How did you know about it?" Rain asked.

"Who do you think got Lucien drunk and dared him to get it?" Vicente asked. Rain shook her head.

"You're a bad influence." She said, stretching out next to Vicente.

"I would think you'd know that by now. I'm usually a very bad influence." Vicente smirked. Rain shook her head.

"So long as you don't start walking around naked then I don't care what you do." She said.

"Did Lucien do anything else?" Vicente asked after a while.

"Not really. He just walked in the room as if it was the most normal thing ever and started to eat an apple." Rain said. Vicente laughed again.

"That's my boy." He said.

"Stupid bad influence." Rain growled.

"Oh you love me because I'm a bad influence." Vicente rolled on his side and smirked at Rain.

"You _are _just like Lucien." Rain said.

"Well what do you expect? He is my son." Vicente said and kissed Rain.

"You want to play strip poker?" He asked after a while. Rain smacked his chest and rolled her eyes.

456

THERE! I TYPED IN THE CAR, TWO DAYS IN A ROW.

So what if it's the day _after _Valentine's Day?

Here's your special little chapter!

….And yes, Lucien went commando.

Now everyone say happy 80th birthday to Wantaco79's grandma!

HAPPY _FRICKEN _VALENTINE'S DAY.

(eye twitches)


	21. Chapter 21

Raised in the Shadows

Disclaimer: ummm….(throws a plate) TAKE THAT, PUNK!

A/N: WANTACO79 IS PASSING AND FAILING HISTORY AT THE SAME TIME! My teacher wants to play a prank on my parents. Yeah that was pointless…

456

_One year later…_

"I still don't understand why we have a rat in here." Vicente said. Lucien glared at him.

"I happen to like Schemer, thank you." He said, patting the rat by his feet.

"It is a little strange. When did you guys get Schemer?" Kira asked. Vicente thought back.

"When Lucien was seven years old we found Schemer. I'm surprised the rat has lived for so long." The vampire said.

"You're making it sound like I'm old." Lucien said.

"You are old." Rain said.

"I am not!"

"Well you are older than I was when I was turned into a vampire." Vicente said unhelpfully. Lucien flipped the vampire and Rain off.

"Poor Luke, all alone in the terrible world of the middle aged." Kira said. Lucien simply glared at her.

"Oh sure, you flip us off but you just glare at Kira! Gee how do you rate, Kira?" Rain asked.

"I own him. It'd be stupid of him to make me mad." Kira grinned. Lucien sighed, deciding it would be best to not fight this battle. They were all in the Living Quarters, doing nothing. None of them had anything to do.

"But I do agree with Lucien, I like Schemer." Rain said.

"See, someone agrees with me, Vicente." Lucien said.

"I'm bored. Lucien don't you have any Black Hand business to do?" Kira whined.

"No. J'ghasta said he would send instructions in two days. Until then we can do whatever." Lucien said.

"I haven't killed anyone in days." Kira said.

"I have a higher level contract that I was going to give to Jet but he doesn't want it. Do you two want to do it?" Vicente asked. Kira and Lucien looked up.

"What would we have to do?" Lucien asked.

"It's fairly simple until you actually have to kill someone. There's a hidden cave near Bravil full of a large group that must be killed. It will be difficult. They are all fairly strong fighters. But I doubt they will be a great challenge for either of you. There are about eleven people in the cave." Vicente said.

"We'll take anything over doing nothing." Kira said. She and Lucien stood up.

"You're just gonna leave like that? No preparation or anything?" Rain asked.

"We're part of the Black Hand." Lucien said.

"We're professionals. We always have enough health potions and weapons for anything." Kira said.

"I think you're both just paranoid." Rain said.

"I'll be sure to tell Erik and Moralis where you are if you take too long." Vicente said. Kira and Lucien nodded before leaving quickly.

"Well now what are we supposed to do?" Rain asked.

"Strip poker?" Vicente smirked.

"Will you stop suggesting that?!" Rain yelled.

"Lucien and I will stop when you and Kira finally agree to it." Vicente said.

"We never will."

"Sure." Vicente said sarcastically.

456

Kira and Lucien quickly made it to Shadowmere and were off to Bravil in no time. Lucien glared up at the city. He hated Bravil. It was full of idiot, scooma addicts. His father used to come here all the time.

"You alright?" Kira asked.

"I'm fine. Let's just try to avoid spending more time here then we have to." Lucien said. Kira leaned back against him reassuringly and patted Lucien's arm. They went past the city and quickly found the cave. After quickly pulling out their weapons, Lucien and Kira silently entered the dark cave.

"You go this way, I'll go that way. We can meet up back here." Lucien said, pointing in two different directions. Kira nodded and started to walk away before turning to grin at Lucien.

"I bet I can kill more of them before you can." She said. And then Kira turned and ran quickly down the tunnel. Lucien watched her run away before sprinting in the opposite direction.

They weren't worried about stealth. It was more than likely that by the time Lucien or Kira killed one person, another would alert the others. Lucien spotted two people up ahead in a small round chamber. Lucien ran straight ahead, jumped up and knocked the closest person to the ground and slit their throat. The Imperial fell limp.

"What the hell?!" The man nearby pulled out his sword and rushed at Lucien. Lucien killed him with a quick shock spell. Lucien stood up and continued sprinting through the cave. _Two down…_ He thought. To win against Kira, Lucien had to kill at least six of the eleven people.

Kira smirked evilly as she killed three people in no time. She knew it wasn't the smartest idea to get into a contest with Lucien Lachance. Lucien liked to win _a lot_. And he had eight years more experience than Kira. But this was fun and Kira was a fast runner. She tried to keep the kills simpler than Lucien would.

_Three down, three to go…_ Kira thought happily. Nearby she heard someone scream. That meant Lucien was making progress too. Kira started to run faster. Kira looked ahead and there was a female Breton running angrily at Kira. The Breton was dead in no time. _Four down…_ Kira had to kill two more people to win. She wouldn't let Lucien win this time.

Lucien grinned. That was his fifth kill. Kira wasn't going to win. He heard someone shout in the distance. _Damn…that was Kira's fifth kill too if the screams are anything to go by…_ Lucien started to run faster. Lucien turned a corner and spotted someone running away, terrified. He started to grin but stopped when Kira came running up.

"There's no way you're gonna win, Luke." Kira said grinning.

"We'll see." Lucien smirked and then started to sprint again with Kira following close behind. Kira did stop for one second while she was running to contemplate how terrifying this must be for whoever they were chasing. Then she shrugged and ran past Lucien. Kira heard Lucien swear at her and she grinned.

Kira was about to move in to kill the final victim but Lucien suddenly sprinted ahead. He beat her into the final chamber of the cave. Kira stopped and cursed as she saw some blood cover the ground. She walked the rest of the way and leaned against the wall, panting heavily.

"I hate you." Kira said. Lucien smirked at her.

"I told you I would win." He said. Lucien was panting but not as much as Kira. He coughed slightly and leaned against the wall too.

"Are you alright?" Kira asked. Lucien grinned.

"I won." He said. Kira shook her head and turned to walk away. Lucien came up behind her and wrapped his arms around Kira's waist. She sighed and leaned against him. Kira was tired. Slowly they sat down together with Lucien's arms still around Kira.

"Next time you won't get so lucky, Lucien." Kira said.

"I'll always beat you." Lucien said confidently. Kira lightly played with Lucien's gloved hands while they caught their breath.

"Hey, what's this?" She asked, looking at his left hand. It was bleeding. Lucien looked at his hand.

"…It bit me." He said. The Imperial he killed first must have gotten him.

"But…how did they bite all the way through your glove?" Kira asked. Lucien shrugged.

"They must have had sharp teeth I guess. Does it really matter? I think you're just getting distracted from the fact that I won." Lucien said. Kira laughed.

"Shut up, Luke." She said. Lucien kissed her quickly and stood up.

"We should return to Cheydinhal. I can only stand being this close to Bravil for so long." He said. Kira nodded and they hurried back to the cave's entrance.

456

"Hey, where's Rain and Vicente?" Kira asked Cecilia. Cecilia sighed and shook her head.

"Where do you think they are?" Cecilia asked. Kira laughed.

"By Sithis, that vampire is like a bloody rabbit." Lucien said.

"Yeah, thanks for that image Dad." Erik cringed. Lucien turned and walked towards Rain's bedroom in the Living Quarters.

"What are you doing?" Kira asked. Lucien grinned evilly and kicked down the door.

"WHAT THE HELLL DO YOU TWO THINK YOU'RE DOING? GET OUT OF BED AND DO SOMETHING THAT'S ACTUALLY PRODUCTIVE." Lucien shouted before turning on the heel of his boot and walking off. Kira almost fell over laughing. Vicente walked out of the bedroom, with a confused look on his face. He was wearing only a pair of black shorts.

"What….the hell?" He asked. Rain walked out, fully clothed.

"I was trying to brush my hair…" She said. Kira laughed harder.

"I was reading a book…" Vicente said.

"_Sure._" Kira said.

"No really! We weren't doing anything!" Rain said.

"Yeah…whatever you say, Aunt Rain." Erik said walking away looking bored. Cecilia shook her head and followed her cousin.

"But…..ISAAC LUCIEN LACHANCE, I'LL KILL YOU!" Vicente yelled angrily. Kira quickly walked over to the vampire to help restrain him from attacking Lucien. Vicente stopped and looked down at Kira.

"What?" She asked.

"Does she have like a giant imaginary bug on her back that only a vampire like you can see?" Rain asked.

"Why do you smell like you've been surrounded by vampires?" Vicente asked.

"What?" Kira and Rain asked together.

"You smell like vampire." Vicente said. Kira lifted up her hand and sniffed.

"I don't smell it…" She sniffed Vicente and sniffed her hand again and shrugged.

"Were there any vampires in the cave?" Vicente asked. Kira shrugged again.

"Lucien and I don't normally check to see if our victims are human or vampire or werewolf…" She said. Vicente shook his head.

"Did any of them turn to ash?"

"I don't know." Kira said.

"How could you not notice a dead corpse that turned to ash?" Rain asked.

"Lucien and I had a contest so we were in a big hurry the whole time. Then when we left the cave we took a path that neither of us had gone through." Kira said. Vicente walked towards Lucien and Kira's bedroom and walked in. Lucien was sitting on the bed, already out of his Speaker robes and treating his hand.

"Do you need something?" He asked. Vicente made a face.

"You smell like vampire too." He said.

"What?" Lucien asked.

"Apparently there were vampires in the cave." Kira said.

"But…I was bitten on my hand…" Lucien said, holding up his left hand. Vicente walked closer and inspected the two small puncture marks. Finally he sighed and stepped back.

"I don't know if you'll turn or not. It could go either way." He said. Lucien looked down at his hand and shrugged.

"So I'll turn into a vampire or I'll stay the same. That's fine." He said.

"You're not at all bothered by this?" Rain asked. She was used to Vicente's normal view of hating being a vampire most of the time.

"I'm fine with it." Lucien said.

"Sithis, now I might have to spend eternity with you…" Vicente groaned.

"Oh don't act like you're not excited about this." Lucien smirked.

"Well, we'll find out in three days right?" Kira asked. Vicente nodded.

"Great…well then we're gonna leave because honestly, I feel awkward standing here in your room with my vampire in nothing but a pair of shorts." Rain grabbed Vicente by his elbow and led him out of the room. Kira sat on the bed.

"So you're fine with becoming a vampire?" She asked.

"Yes. I've always wondered about it. I even considered asking Vicente once or twice but never have." Lucien shrugged.

"Really?" Kira asked.

"I haven't thought about it recently. But when I was still Christine's Silencer I considered it." Lucien said.

"Then why did you never ask?" Kira tilted her head to the side. Lucien had never said anything about this to her before.

"I don't know. I suppose I thought Vicente wouldn't want to change me. Plus I wasn't responsible enough at the time to keep track of how often I fed. I worried I might've attack you or Rain while you were young if I got out of control." Lucien explained, remembering being Christine's teenaged Silencer.

"You really thought you would lose control?"

"Yes. Vicente has been a vampire for 300 years and even he still loses control. You've only ever seen it happen when he killed William but I've seen Vicente completely out of control." Lucien said darkly. Kira nodded and laid down.

"Are you fine with this?" Lucien asked after a while. Kira nodded.

"My brother was a werewolf and the man who is practically my father is a vampire. Obviously I have no problem with the creatures of the night. I'm sure Erik will be fine with it and Moralis probably won't even notice." She said.

"The only problem I have with it is the fact that if I don't feed regularly then my face will age." Lucien groaned.

"Oh yeah, the change takes centuries before it becomes permanent. I forgot about that." Kira looked at Lucien's face and imagined him looking like an aged vampire. She laughed.

"Oh shut up." Lucien said.

456

_The next night…_

Kira rushed forward and stabbed at Lucien's leg. Lucien jumped back and circled around her. He sliced at her shoulder, landing a shallow cut. Kira swore and knocked Lucien back with the flat of her sword. She attacked swiftly at his arms and legs, making several cuts.

They were in the forest at night. Tomorrow they would receive instructions from J'ghasta. They had to keep their skills sharp. Lucien and Kira practiced like this often. Erik and Moralis were sitting in a nearby tree, watching their parents. The wolfhounds kept close by protectively.

The battle continued for several minutes. Kira and Lucien were both careful not to cause serious injury to the other. Suddenly Kira moved forward and knocked Lucien's sword out of his hand. She knocked him down, placed her knee on his stomach and grinned down at him with her sword at his throat. Lucien blinked a few times in confusion.

"I win." Kira said happily. Moralis cheered happily for her mother. Erik looked pretty surprised too. Kira rarely beat Lucien in combat and never this easily. Kira stood up and helped Lucien to his feet.

"Damn you." Lucien glared at her.

"I told you I could beat you in sword combat now." Kira laughed.

"Yay Mama!" Moralis cheered.

"Damn…" Erik said. Kira walked over to her children and picked up Moralis. She started back towards Fort Farragut. Lucien followed next to Erik.

"I can't believe Mom beat you in a sword fight, Dad." Erik said in disbelief.

"Well she is working towards being a weapons master…" Lucien said.

"Oh don't make some random excuse." Erik grinned at his father.

"Shut it. I'm not feeling well tonight." Lucien groaned lightly before climbing down the rope ladder. Erik looked at his father with concern before deciding it would be best if he just stayed out of it.

456

"Vicente are you drunk?" Rain asked. Vicente looked up at her.

"Excuse me?" He said. He was laying on top of her bed, half asleep.

"Oh ok, you're not drunk."

"Why did you think I was drunk?" He asked.

"No reason." Rain started to walk out of their room. Vicente stared at her.

"You're up to something…" He said.

"What? Me, up to something? Never." Rain said, grinning as she continued to walk away. Vicente stood up and followed her.

"What are you up to?" He asked. They were walking downstairs now, towards Rain's living room.

"I told you; nothing." Rain said, still grinning. Vicente followed her silently. He glanced out the window. The sun was just now setting, he should still be asleep. Vicente growled lightly and looked at Rain.

"What?" She asked.

"I still think you're up to something." Vicente said.

"I still think you're a freak but you don't see me following you around." Rain said.

"Tell me what you're up to and I'll leave." Vicente said.

"So you're just gonna follow me around? This reminds me of when our relationship first started." Rain said. Vicente held back a sigh and decided it would be smarter to go back to bed. He turned and started to walk up the stairs. After a few steps he glanced back. Rain was following him.

"Do you need something?" Vicente asked. Rain shook her head.

"No." She said. Vicente shrugged to himself and started back up the stairs. Rain continued to follow. Vicente kept an eye on her, still wondering what she was up to. He wasn't overly worried. If Rain wanted to play some twisted game then he would play.

"Are you sure you're not drunk?" Rain asked as they entered the bedroom again.

"I'm fairly sure." Vicente said. He stretched out on the bed and watched Rain. Rain simply sat nearby and started to read. She was starting to make Vicente feel paranoid.

"Now you're positive you're not drunk…" Rain said after a few moments. Vicente opened one eye to look at her. He sighed, got up and walked over to a cabinet nearby. Finally he found a few bottles of brandy and walked back to the bed. Vicente easily drank three bottles right there and handed one to Rain.

"There. I'm semi-drunk now." Vicente said, almost going cross-eyed for a moment. Rain grinned and stood up.

"Great. I'll see you later then." She said happily and started to walk away. Vicente grabbed her arm and pulled her back.

"No." He said.

"What?" Rain asked innocently.

"What was the point of all that?" The vampire asked.

"To get you drunk." Rain grinned.

"Why?"

"Because you're a funny drunk." Rain shrugged.

"I hate you." Vicente said. Rain started to walk away but Vicente pulled her back again. Rain looked back at him. He had a somewhat dark, playful look in his eyes. Rain grinned at him and suddenly shoved him over and ran out of the room. Vicente stood up quickly. The room was spinning for a moment. He got his bearings and chased after Rain quickly.

456

_Two days later…_

"So…is it possible for you to grow a moustache?" Rain asked out of nowhere. Vicente looked at her.

"I don't know." He said.

"Well have you ever tried?" Kira asked.

"No…" Vicente said uncertainly.

"We think you should." Rain grinned.

"It'd be great." Kira agreed.

"I don't think so…" Vicente said.

"Oh come on!" The girls said together.

"But I don't want to grow a moustache."

"We don't care!"

"Daddy grow a moustache!" Crystal laughed. She was sitting in her father's lap.

"You're going to try and grow one." Rain ordered. Before the argument could continue, Lucien walked in sleepily. He and Vicente stared at each other before they both growled loudly.

"Nice." Kira said. Lucien was now turned away from them, leaning his head against the door frame.

"I feel horrible." He groaned.

"Yeah, because you've probably got a hangover plus being a new vampire." Kira walked over to Lucien and looked at his eyes. They were red now.

"Wait…if you're both _male _vampires who are both very territorial then are you going to be fighting all the time?" Rain asked.

"Yeah, like what if you kill each other over a dinner roll or something?" Kira said.

"A really _adorable _looking dinner roll." Rain added. The two vampires looked at each other and growled again. Vicente shook his head.

"We're going to have to stop doing that." He said.

"Yes." Lucien agreed.

"Well at least you're trying to problem solve but there's still the two male vampire thing." Kira said.

"I'm the older vampire. Even Lucien shouldn't be reckless enough to bother me. I'll still continue to respect him as a member of the Black Hand so long as he still continues to see that I'm much older and much stronger than him in several ways." Vicente almost sounded threatening as he looked at Lucien.

"Whatever. I have to feed. Then Kira and I have work to do. J'ghasta finally sent instructions. Vicente, make sure Erik doesn't do something stupid on a contract. We'll be back in a week." Lucien stumbled wearily out of the room with Kira helping to support him. Twenty minutes later they were outside the city. Lucien had fed and was looking fine. The only really distinct difference was that it was possible to see the tips of his fangs. Other than that there was no real difference.

"Feeling better?" Kira asked as Lucien jumped up on Shadowmere behind her. Lucien wrapped his arms around her waist as they started off.

"Yes. Blood's not really that bad." He said. Kira rolled her eyes.

"Oh boy, now I have my very own pet vampire. I think I shall call you Fluffy." She said, patting Lucien's head.

"Oh shut up." He said.

"Make me." Kira challenged. Lucien placed his fangs by her neck and growled playfully. Kira instantly stopped. She could feel Lucien grinning triumphantly.

456

We had to do it.

Lucien was just _screaming _out to be a vampire.

And this chapter took immense sacrifice.

Wantaco79 typed about half of it with a sprained wrist. Even now I am in agony and Gaaraxocfan is just laughing at my pain.

PAIN.


	22. Chapter 22

Raised in the Shadows

Disclaimer: Yeah right.

A/N: Is anyone else angry at some technical glitch on FF that keeps you from logging in? Cause I'm getting really annoyed.

456

_One year later…_

"You're coming on a contract with me." Lucien ordered. Rain sat up and blinked a bit.

"What?" She asked sleepily.

"You are coming with me on a contract." Lucien said slowly. He leaned against the doorframe to her bedroom, looking impatient and annoyed.

"Why not Kira?" Rain yawned.

"She has different matters to attend to. You're coming with me to Skingrad." The Speaker ordered again.

"Why do you need me?" Rain was too tired to make sense of anything at the moment. Lucien held back a frustrated groan. He was used to people obeying him without question. Even Kira listened most of the time. Lucien quickly reminded himself Rain wasn't really part of the Brotherhood.

"I must fulfill a large contract at a party in Skingrad. It would look best if I brought someone with me." He explained. Rain took a second to process all that, glanced at Lucien's serious red eyes and then nodded slowly.

"Alright, just get out so I can get dressed." Rain said, waving him away. Lucien left without another word. Vicente stirred and rolled over.

"Hey Vicente, I'm going to Skingrad with Lucien." Rain said, pulling on some clothes.

"Yeah, sure, whatever." He said, rolling over again. Rain rolled her eyes. That was what Vicente always answered when he wasn't listening. Rain wrote a quick note and placed it on Vicente's forehead. He would have to find it at some point. Rain stretched and walked down the hall.

"Cecilia, I'm being dragged off with your Uncle Lucien. Make sure you keep an eye on Crystal and Vicente." Rain said, poking her head in her daughter's room.

"Yeah sure whatever." Cecilia said sleepily. Rain rolled her eyes and walked downstairs to her living room. Lucien was waiting, with a bored look on his face.

"Can I at least get something to eat before we leave?" Rain asked.

"No."

"But I'm hungry!"

"Drink some water!" Lucien said. Rain glared at him and followed him reluctantly out of her house and towards the secret stables. They left quickly for Skingrad.

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_A few hours later…_

"Hey Vicente, are you ready yet?" Kira asked, walking into Rain's house. Vicente rolled over in bed. Kira rolled her eyes. _Stupid lazy vampire…_ She cursed lightly.

"WAKE UP." Kira said right by the vampire's ear. Vicente quickly rolled away and almost fell off the bed. He sat up and glared at Kira.

"Do you need something?" He asked sleepily.

"Why are you still asleep? It's almost midnight." Kira said.

"I'm just tired." Vicente said.

"Well are you ready yet? I need you on this contract." Kira was anxious to get going.

"Let me get dressed and then we can leave." Vicente said. Kira left the room while Vicente searched for his clothes. Finally he walked downstairs, looking fully awake.

"Finally. Now we need to head to Chorrol, kill five people and then search a few nearby caves before meeting up with Lucien and Rain at some point." Kira said.

"Wait, Rain is gone?" Vicente asked.

"Yes."

"And you've let _Lucien _take her somewhere?"

"Yeah, I'm sure they can last a few days without killing each other." Kira shrugged.

"Let's just hurry with the contract." Vicente said, quickly led the way out of Cheydinhal.

"Did Lucien take Shadowmere?" Vicente asked after a while.

"Yes. So try not to run too fast. I can't keep up with you." Kira said. Suddenly Vicente picked her up and swung her around so she was on his back.

"You're not _extremely_ heavy, I can carry you." Vicente said. He started off running quickly and easily towards Chorrol.

456

"When do you have to complete the contract?" Rain asked. She was walking through Skingrad with Lucien. He had hid his Speaker robes in his pack was just in plain clothes.

"The party is at Summitmist Manor tomorrow night. We have to make sure no one suspects either of us is up to something. It should be fairly easy." Lucien said confidently.

"How can that be easy?" Rain asked.

"I've been doing this my whole life. I won't mess this up. And while you're inexperienced, most people tend to believe you're too innocent to do anything." Lucien shrugged indifferently.

"I seem…innocent to people?" Rain asked.

"In some ways, yes. Compared to anyone else in the family you're innocent." Lucien said.

"Sure…." Rain said. They found an inn and paid for a room. It was a simple room. There were two beds, a table and a window. Lucien glared at the window. He had always spent most of his time awake at nighttime and even more now that he was a vampire. He didn't like windows because they let in light. Rain yawned and stretched.

"I guess we should get some sleep and then get any supplies we might need in the morning." Rain said. Lucien nodded.

"I'll feed first. I'll return shortly." Lucien said, leaving. Rain got comfortable in bed and fell asleep.

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_The next morning…_

Rain opened her eyes slowly. She guessed it was morning but no light was coming in the window. She looked up. Lucien had covered the window with black cloth that blocked out the light. Rain shook her head. Lucien definitely didn't like to be woken up by the sun. Rain rolled out of bed and got dressed quickly. Her stomach growled.

"….Now…where would paranoid Lucien keep his money…" She said quietly. Rain had always tried to pick pocket Lucien but he was so damn paranoid. She had managed to steal a useless rusty key and some poison but that was it. He had pockets in his pockets. Rain looked over at the other bed.

She could just barely see Lucien's black hair sticking out against the white pillow. The rest of him was hidden under the blanket. Rain walked over and ripped off the blanket. Lucien was sprawled out, taking up as much space as possible on the bed.

"Hey Lucien, are you awake?" She asked innocently.

"Yeah sure whatever…" He said sleepily. Rain blinked a few times wondering why everyone was saying that.

"Get up." She said finally.

"Go away." Lucien growled.

"I'm hungry. We should get something to eat." Rain said. Lucien sat up.

"Fine. Let me pull on a shirt and grab my sword." He stood up, found a shirt that didn't have noticeable blood stains on it and pulled it on. Lucien grabbed his silver long sword and a pouch of money from somewhere hidden.

"Can we go now?" Rain said.

"Yes." Lucien led the way downstairs. He quickly bought some food for he and Rain and they sat down in a corner. Rain quickly began eating while Lucien slowly ate an apple. After a while Rain looked up at him.

"I thought vampires didn't eat human food. Or at least Vicente never eats." She said quietly. Lucien shrugged.

"Vicente never eats because he turned centuries ago. He's gotten rid of all human habits like eating and breathing. I'm still getting used to it. I eat out of habit and because I like apples. I breathe still because it feels too different not to." He explained. Rain nodded.

"So for how long will you be considered a young vampire?" She asked.

"I'm not sure if there are a specific number of years. But if I spend time around other vampires and serve a vampire elder for a few years and do favors for the elder I'm sure I could prove I'm not some useless young vampire." Lucien said.

"Would Vicente be considered a vampire elder?" Rain had always been careful of what she asked Vicente about vampires. He didn't like to talk about it really.

"Probably not. Vicente is a respected vampire but really he's not extremely old. Some of the elders have been around since the first or second era." Lucien said, trying to remember some of the elders Vicente had told him about.

"Is it fun being a vampire?" Rain asked.

"I think it is. It has some down points like always having to feed and the creepy nightmares. But I like it more than Vicente does. I've always been a bloodthirsty psychopath so it's really not a major change for me. Vicente at least used to have a conscience and was able to regret things. I've never really been able to do that." Lucien said darkly.

"You do realize that you're a very creepy man Lucien." Rain said.

"If I had a piece of gold for every time Kira told me that I'd be richer than the Emperor." Lucien replied. Finally Rain finished eating and they left the inn.

"So what do we do now?" Rain asked.

"I have some other business to take care of for Vicente. You can go do whatever you wish until 6 o'clock tonight." Lucien said.

"Wait, what are you doing for Vicente?" Rain asked.

"Nothing that concerns you. I've also got Black Hand duties." Lucien started to walk off.

"But what am I going to do?" Rain yelled after him pathetically. Lucien pulled something out of his pocket and tossed it back to Rain. Rain caught the small pouch and opened it. It was filled with gold. She gasped and quickly counted it.

"_One thousand gold!_" She said in disbelief. _Lucien can just throw away this much gold, no problem? How much does he get paid as a Speaker!? _Rain thought in wonder. She was a thief by nature and loved to steal things. Getting this much gold this easily was like drugs to thieves. Rain looked up to ask Lucien about this but he was already gone.

"Well…alright then. I guess I'll go shopping." Rain said, quickly walking off towards the shops.

456

Lucien laughed silently. He wished it was that simple to get rid of Kira. He knew Rain was a greedy thief. She couldn't help it and he almost admired that side of her. He knew giving her that much money would definitely keep her distracted until the contract.

Lucien had spent his whole life using other people's traits to get what he wanted. He was especially good at this with women. Obviously, thieves like Rain could be distracted by money or a potential heist with a lot of rewards. Murderers like Kira liked new swords and difficult assassination contracts. Basically, Lucien knew how to get what he wanted. He hadn't spent most of his time working on Speachcraft and charm spells for nothing.

"There you are, brother, I have been searching for you!" Lucien looked up to see who was talking to him. It was Belisarius Arius. He was another Speaker. Arius had been a former Silencer who was promoted when J'ghasta became Listener and Banus Alor and Mathieu Bellamont had been killed. Lucien wasn't overly fond of Arius but at least he had never been tortured by Arius.

"Good, there are certain matters you wanted to discuss with me? Something J'ghasta asked of you." Lucien said. Arius nodded. He motioned for Lucien to follow. They reached his hideout just outside of the city and quickly began taking care of business.

456

Vicente and Kira reached a cave outside of Chorrol just after sunrise. They had already killed everyone they had to in Chorrol. Now they were resting before hunting down the others in the wilderness. Kira was hungry and Vicente needed to rest during the day. They sat in the main chamber of the cave.

"So where do you think we'll find the last three?" Kira asked as she ate. Vicente studied a map of the surrounding area.

"I think the mines are the most likely. If they're as greedy as Lucien said then they will want to search for precious gems." He said after a moment of thought. Kira nodded.

"Okay, so we'll split up at sunset and search the closest mines and move on to the caves if we don't find anything. We can meet up here every couple of hours." Kira said. Vicente nodded and leaned back against the wall.

"You're a lazy vampire. I know you can keep going during the day." Kira said, grinning at him.

"Of course I'm lazy. Why should I do everything when I can trick you or Rain into doing it for me?" Vicente asked.

"…So you're the one who taught Lucien to exploit people like that!" Kira gasped. Vicente nodded.

"He was rather good at it." He said thoughtfully.

"Jerk." Kira said, throwing an apple at Vicente's head.

"Ow. What was that for?" He asked, sounding insulted. Kira just stuck her tongue out at him and stood up.

"Where are you going?" Vicente asked.

"Well I'm not just going to sit around here while you sleep until sunset. I'm going back into Chorrol for a bit. I'm pretty sure J'ghasta is in town and it's always fun to see him." Kira said.

"Okay. Try not to trip and fall and hit your head on a rock." Vicente said without enthusiasm.

"I do not trip on rocks!" Kira yelled as she left the small cave. Once outside she was careful not to trip on a rock, knowing Vicente would never let her live it down.

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_Later that night…_

"Are you prepared for the contract yet?" Lucien asked. Rain jumped and nearly dropped the new books she had just bought. She looked all around until she finally spotted Lucien in a tree above her.

"Don't sneak up on me like that!" She said. Lucien smirked and jumped down.

"Here, I'll carry some of that," he said. Rain handed over some of what she had recently bought. Lucien took it and walked with her towards the inn. Rain watched her brother-in-law closely.

"What are you up to? Are you going to burn those suddenly? Or perhaps you'll slip a poisonous snake into something…" Rain said suspiciously. Lucien turned to smile pleasantly at her.

"Of course not, dear child," he said. This only made Rain more suspicious.

"Well then what is it?" she almost yelled. Lucien laughed and continued with his polite smile.

"What do you mean? I promise I'm not up to something," he said.

"You're being nice…and polite…and _charming!_ Did someone slip scooma in your food?" By now they had reached the inn and were approaching their room. Lucien suddenly changed from the polite man and grinned evilly at Rain.

"When was the last time you were on a contract with me?" he asked.

"Probably when Christine and Azaka were killed in the Imperial Prison. But I don't see what that has to do with you being nice." Rain sat her things down on the table in the room and glared at Lucien.

"Exactly my point right there. I was still a wild and undisciplined boy then. Christine was the Speaker and I was a simple Silencer. I've grown a lot since then in how I deal with contracts. Charm is all part of my job now, especially when recruiting new family members," explained Lucien. Rain stared at him.

"So you're going to be like that during the whole entire party…contract…thing tonight?" she asked.

"Yes. And I need you to do your best to do the same. Keep a hold on your temper. Don't say anything that will give us away. Avoid words like Sithis and death." Lucien ordered sternly. Rain nodded slowly.

"I know. I may not be an assassin by I am a thief. I'm not stupid. I know what to do," she said confidently.

"Good. Now, on the contract I will need you to trust me completely." Lucien said.

"I dunno…I mean sometimes you're just so…" Rain began teasingly.

"Don't joke around." Lucien said.

"Okay, don't worry. I'll trust you…for now," Rain promised.

"Good. While we're there you may have to flirt with one of the targets so we can isolate one or two from the rest," Lucien began.

"What!? But what if they try something?" Rain yelled.

"Trust me. Do you think I'd let one of them lay a hand on you and risk what Vicente would do to me? I happen to like certain parts of my anatomy staying where they are." Lucien said. Rain took a deep breath to calm down.

"Alright…but you better keep an eye on everything," She said.

"Dear child, I am a Speaker for the Dark Brotherhood. No harm will come to you." Lucien said, switching back to a charming and light voice. Rain nodded.

"So will we go there as friends or what?" She asked.

"We'll go as what we are. Brother and sister. And you must remember; our last name is Valtieri. My first name is Isaac. Never call me Lucien or Luke," Lucien warned.

"Alright, we'll be fine then. Are we leaving now?" Rain asked. Lucien nodded. He quickly grabbed some poison and a dagger that could be easily hidden. He led Rain through the streets of Skingrad to Summitmist Manor.

456

Vicente watched Kira sleep for a while before deciding it was time to go. He gently shook her. Kira sat up quickly, already reaching for her Blade of Woe out of instinct.

"Do you do that every time someone wakes you?" Vicente asked, quickly moving away.

"Sorry. I'm used to Lucien being the one waking me up and he does it by attacking me," Kira shrugged.

"He attacks you?"

"Yes. My duties as a Silencer come before anything else. I have to stay sharp and it's his job as the Speaker to do that." Kira stood up and stretched. Sleeping on a cave floor wasn't always the most comfortable place.

"Are you prepared to leave now?" Vicente asked. Kira nodded.

"This won't be too difficult. Just try not to mess it up, _Executioner._" Kira grinned at Vicente.

"Oh don't worry, dearest Silencer, I know what I'm doing." Vicente said.

"I'll meet you back here in two hours. If we've found all targets by then we'll head to Skingrad to wait for Lucien and Rain." Kira said. They left the cave and split up in two directions to search for their targets.

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"Oh, you must be the final guests. I'm Matilde Petit." An elderly woman greeted Lucien and Rain at the door. They smiled warmly at her.

"I am Isaac Valtieri. This is my sister, Rain." Lucien said smoothly.

"Nice to meet you." Rain said.

"Lovely. Why don't you tell us a little about yourselves?" Matilde said. A few of the others in the room looked at them. Lucien's smile only became even more charming.

"We're assassins sent here to kill all of you." He said. Rain had to restrain from bursting out laughing. The others laugh.

"Oh good, someone with a sense of humor!" Matilde laughed. Lucien and Rain were quickly introduced to everyone else. Dovesi Dran, Nels, Neville and Primo Antonius. Everyone was there, searching for a "treasure" in the big house. Lucien nodded at Rain and quickly walked over to the Dark Elf woman, Dovesi. He leaned against the wall with his arms folded and quickly began talking to her. Rain shook her head. _Poor thing, she doesn't know that she's flirting with an assassin._

Rain decided she was start with acting like she was looking for the treasure as well. She began searching aimlessly. She would smile and talk to some of the others, gaining their trust. Rain looked over at Lucien. Dovesi was laughing as he told some story. Rain was afraid she would go into shock. Who knew Lucien could still flirt like that.

For the last 30 years Rain had only seen Lucien every couple of days around the Sanctuary. He was a prideful, stuck-up jerk. He liked to play tricks on people, especially Rain and Kira. He loved to show off and flaunt his high rank of Speaker. Lucien was an over-all pain in the ass.

But here, on a contract, Lucien was charming and humble. He was being polite and acting like a normal person. He was being the fun type of guy that you meet out of nowhere and turns out to be the perfect guy. Rain was going to have to talk to Kira about this and make sure she didn't slip some kind of drug in Rain's food.

"Why don't we search together upstairs?" Lucien asked suddenly.

"Okay, Isaac." Dovesi followed him upstairs. Lucien glanced back at Rain. She looked down at his left hand. He held out three fingers. That meant room three. Lucien had drawn up a quick map of the house for Rain, so they could signal where the other would be. She nodded at him discretely, held out one finger and walked over to the Nord, Nels.

"Hey there, beautiful." He said. Rain smiled and giggled girlishly. Inside she was gagging.

"Hey." She said. Rain talked with Nels for a while as he continued to drink alcoholic beverages. Finally she was walking upstairs with him. In his drunken state, Nels believed she already knew where the treasure was. She entered room one, a bedroom on the top floor. Rain pretended to shift things around, looking for the treasure.

"Are…ya sure..it'sa in here?" Nels slurred.

"Positive." Rain said. Suddenly Lucien dropped down from the rafters and made a cut on Nels' shoulder. Nels turned around but the poison had already taken affect. He fell onto the bed. Lucien smirked.

"That's a very fast acting poison…" Rain said.

"One of my favorites." Lucien smirked.

"So how's Dovesi?" Rain asked pleasantly.

"Oh I'm afraid she was feeling unwell and is taking a nap. Neville is also "searching" up here." Lucien said. They walked back downstairs to get rid of the remaining targets.

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_Hours later…_

"So now we can head back to Cheydinhal, right?" Rain asked sleepily.

"Yes. There's no other reason to waste time in Skingrad." Lucien said before whistling sharply. Shadowmere and Moonscar came running quickly. Rain quickly got on her horse while Lucien patted Shadowmere.

"Crazy horse, you've been eating rats again!" Lucien said, examining Shadowmere. She snorted and nuzzled his neck.

"Oh don't apologize. I told you to stop it." Lucien continued. Rain smirked. One of the few things she and Lucien had in common was that they both liked animals. Rain absolutely loved most animals. She doubted Lucien would say he _loved _animals but he definitely liked them. Suddenly there was another whistling sound, like a bird. Shadowmere looked away sharply and started to get excited.

"Woah girl…" Lucien said, stepping back a bit. Shadowmere ignored him and galloped off.

"What the hell?" Rain said. They watched and Shadowmere galloped back into view, with someone standing up on her saddle.

"Of course…the only person who can steal my horse from me." Lucien said.

"HEY Luke, I thing you lost something!" Kira shouted, waving one arm. Vicente was running alongside Shadowmere, keeping up with no problem. Lucien shook his head while Rain laughed and waved at the others.

"Did you enjoy your time in Skingrad?" Vicente asked once he was standing near Rain and Moonscar.

"It was definitely a life changing experience…" Rain said.

"I hope you didn't sleep with my wife, Valtieri." Lucien said, pulling Kira off Shadowmere.

"Oh of course I did. We were all over each other the entire time." Vicente said.

"We even went all the way to the Sanguine shrine and got it on there." Kira said, rolling her eyes at Lucien.

"Oh good. Now I don't feel so bad about sleeping with Rain, a female Dark Elf and a male Redguard." Lucien chuckled.

"So I guess you won't feel jealous of that Nord then, will you Vicente?" Rain asked.

"Can we just start back before Lucien goes into details on his little adventure with the Redguard?" Vicente asked.

"Oh but it's such a _fascinating_ story!" Lucien said. He started to get on Shadowmere behind Kira but Vicente threw a rock at him.

"OW, what in the name of Sithis!?" Lucien shouted, stumbling a few steps away.

"No, you've been a vampire for a year now. I've let you run free for long enough. You have to train to control your instincts and learn to use all your powers. I think this is a good time to start with running as fast a horse." Vicente said.

"But I don't want you to train me! Your methods are painful." Lucien said.

"You sound like you're seven years old again. Now come on, let's get going." Vicente said.

"I don't want to. I just want to ride my horse!" Lucien said. Vicente pulled Lucien away from Shadowmere and growled at him. He snapped his fangs at Lucien neck. Lucien jumped back quickly, giving a submissive growl.

"Okay! Psycho vampire, you don't have to try to kill me." He said.

"See we told you the whole two vampire males would get to be a problem!" Kira said.

"We'd better keep them away from any dinner rolls!" Rain said. Lucien flipped them off before Vicente growled at him again. The two vampires took off running while the girls followed on their horses.

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"Why have you lied to me all these years? I thought we were sisters, that we told each other _everything!_" Rain said, walking into Kira and Lucien's room in the Sanctuary.

"Yeah, sure, whatever..." Kira said without looking up. Rain groaned and got her attention.

"Why did you never tell me what Lucien was really like on contracts?" Rain asked.

"Oh, you mean charming and funny and all that? I kinda forgot really…" Kira shrugged.

"You should've warned me! I almost died from it." Rain said, with dramatic hand motions.

"Well he is a Speaker for the Black Hand. You have to be charming and all that or else the new recruits are just terrified. Do you realize how scary it is to wake up to find Lucien Lachance watching you sleep?" Kira asked. Lucien walked in the room.

"Rain, would you like some help with any of your alchemy potions?" He asked pleasantly. Rain's eyes widened.

"NOOOO!" She screamed, running out of the room and all the way to Vicente's room. Lucien laughed.

"When do you think we should tell her that you're actually like this most of the time?" Kira asked.

"Oh let's give her a few years to figure it out herself." Lucien smirked.

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WOOHOO, another chapter.

Yeah…we don't know how much farther we're going with this.

How much more do you want us to type?

Send a review with suggestions!

SITHIS COMMANDS IT.

(eats some cheese)


	23. Chapter 23

Raised in the Shadows

Disclaimer: Well…one of our friends owns a snake…that counts for something…right?

456

_Two years later…_

Kira and Rain laughed as they continued to read. They were sitting at the table in Vicente's room. They had been there since they had found this interesting little book almost three hours ago. Vicente and Lucien walked in, both returning from separate contracts.

"What's that you've got there?" Vicente asked. Kira looked up and grinned at him.

"It's an old diary from like 150 years ago. It belonged to an old family member named Pan." She said.

"Give it here." Vicente said quickly.

"No way! We're loving this." Rain laughed, keeping the diary away from Vicente. Lucien looked interested at sat next to Kira.

"Why? What's in it?" He asked. He was positive Vicente had joined the Brotherhood around then.

"Oh, it starts out fairly simple. Pan enjoys being an assassin and all that. But then, Vicente joins. Rain, read how she describes Vicente." Kira said.

"No, don't read it…" Vicente pleaded.

"Second Era, Fifth day of Frost Fall; we got a new member. He's a vampire named Vicente Valtieri. I absolutely _hate _him! He has three separate modes; moody teenager, whiny three year old, and stuck up ass. Valtieri only seems to look after himself and he never helps out around the Sanctuary. What the hell is his problem?!" Rain read from the diary. Lucien laughed and looked at Vicente.

"By Sithis Vicente, you sound even worse than Lucien!" Kira laughed. Vicente was standing with his arms crossed. He didn't look very happy.

"Hand it over, _now._" He said darkly.

"No, wait, it gets better." Kira said, making sure he was out of reach of Rain.

"Frost Fall 12th: Valtieri continues to be an ass. Yesterday the bloody vampire lit me on fire in the training room! He just stood there and laughed! Honestly, I don't know why Speaker Jax let him join the Brotherhood. Even worse, I think Jax and Lachance actually get a kick out of Valtieri," Rain continued to read.

"Wait, Lachance? Any relation to me?" Lucien asked. Vicente stopped trying to get past Kira.

"I think so. Kareem Lachance was his name…but I don't think he had any children. Though, I doubt even he was unsure if he had any children." Vicente said, shaking his head.

"Now give me the damn book." He growled.

"No way!" Rain said.

"We will beat you with a rock if you don't back off, Vicente." Kira warned. Lucien laughed.

"Read some more Rain." He said. Rain nodded.

"Frost Fall 23rd; I am going to kill Valtieri! I walked out of my bedroom this morning and he set up a trap. A potion spilled all over me and _dyed my armor bright pink!_ There's no way he's getting away with this…" Rain stopped to laugh.

"You dyed her armor pink?" Lucien laughed. Vicente sighed and gave up. He sat down.

"Yes. I did that and several other things. I was a very different person back then…" Vicente said.

"What was your problem back then? I thought you would've already been mature after living for 200 some years." Rain asked, sitting next to her vampire.

"I didn't have a problem. It's just that I had spent the last two centuries in the wilderness alone. Jax, the Speaker back then, was the first human I talked to that I wasn't about to feed off of in several years…" Vicente gave a weak shrug.

"Seriously? What did you do for 200 years?" Kira asked.

"I just wandered around. I spent a few decades near my home town in Morrowind, moved on to Skyrim then returned to Morrowind. After a while I went to Cyrodiil. I was always looking for something to do. I heard about the Daedra shrines here. Besides feeding and other activities like that I spent most of my time and energy hunting down the vampire that killed my family," Vicente had a dark, distant look in his eyes as he remembered his life before the Dark Brotherhood.

"So tell us, did you ever get Pan to actually like you?" Rain asked, changing the subject.

"I'm not sure if she was ever overly fond of me but she did get me back," Vicente said.

"How?" Lucien asked.

"She placed some garlic in my pack. It nearly killed me!" Vicente said angrily. Kira laughed.

"That's right! I forgot that garlic made you severely sick." She said.

"You mean garlic like this?" Lucien held up some garlic. Vicente quickly moved back and the garlic suddenly lit on fire. Lucien dropped it before he was burned.

"By Sithis, don't do that! I need that hand," Lucien said, keeping his slightly burned hand close. Vicente growled at Lucien.

"Okay, let's all just calm down now. Kira and I are gonna go practice in the Training Room for a while. Try not to kill each other." Rain said. She stood up with Kira and started to leave.

"Wait, give me the diary." Vicente ordered sternly.

"Nah, we don't really feel like it. Play again later," Kira said before quickly running out of the room with her sister. Vicente glared after them.

"So…I had a relative in the Brotherhood 150 years ago?" Lucien asked eventually.

"Yes. Let's face it Lucien; you come from a line of very violent people. The Lachance family is known for being assassins, thieves, pirates and anything else that likes to break the law," Vicente said. Lucien smirked.

456

_Hours later…_

Lucien coughed and leaned back against the wall. Vicente stepped back and lowered his sword.

"Are you alright?" He asked.

"Yes, I'm fine. Just some old side effect from the traitor incident years ago." Lucien said. They were in the Training Room. Vicente was determined to teach Lucien to use his vampire skills to the fullest. Lucien just thought it was a painful waste of time.

"I think that's enough for tonight. You should rest," Vicente sheathed his sword and led the way into the Living Quarters. They sat down at the table and watched Crystal and Moralis run around for a while. Cecilia was nearby, reading something while Erik sharpened a dagger.

"Hey Dad, do you have any advice for the contract I've got?" Erik asked.

"Use poison. Your target is too paranoid to let someone get near him but he is a big eater," Lucien said. Erik nodded. He stood up.

"Hey Erik, let me come along. I've been stuck here for weeks." Cecilia said. She stood up and left with her cousin. Lucien leaned back in his chair after a while and began eating an apple. Vicente was drinking some imported alcohol from Morrowind. Moralis and Crystal walked up.

"Hey Daddy…" Crystal began, looking up at Vicente.

"Yes?" Vicente smiled down at his daughter.

"Where do babies come from?" The girls asked together. There was a loud crunch as Lucien quickly bit into his apple. If Vicente's heart was still beating he was sure it would've stopped right there. The two men looked at each other.

"Well…umm…" Lucien began. For once he actually had nothing to say.

"You see…" Vicente said.

"KIRA!"

"RAIN!" They yelled finally. Kira and Rain walked into the room.

"Is the Sanctuary on fire?" Kira asked. Vicente and Lucien stood up and whispered to Rain and Kira. Crystal and Moralis stood nearby, wondering what the problem was. It wasn't unnatural for them to ask this now. Moralis was 12 and Crystal was 11. They were starting to grow up.

"Is that all? I think you two can explain how all of that works," Rain said.

"I definitely know you can explain it Lucien," Kira looked at her husband with one eyebrow raised.

"We don't want to have this talk with them!" Lucien said.

"You two should do it." Vicente added.

"No, I explained it to Cecilia." Rain said.

"And I explained it to Erik while you were away in Skyrim, Lucien. Now it's your turn." Kira motioned for the men to go sit down.

"No really, I think it'd be best if you two did this." Lucien said.

"You wouldn't want us to scar them for life." Vicente added. They wanted out of this desperately.

"Oh it's not that bad." Kira grinned.

"We'll be right here the entire time for moral support." Rain said. She and Kira moved to stand in the corner and laughed silently while Lucien and Vicente were forced to sit down. Crystal and Moralis stared curiously at their fathers.

456

_An hour later…_

"And if you have any more questions…" Vicente said.

"Ask your mothers. I'm positive they can explain everything else better than we ever could." Lucien said. Vicente nodded in agreement.

"Okay…" Crystal and Moralis said.

"Now, go kill rats in the forest or…hunt for Daedra." Lucien said, shooing them away. The girls laughed and ran off. Kira and Rain burst out laughing.

"See…that wasn't…too hard." Kira said in-between laughs.

"We are holding this against you _forever._" Lucien said.

"Oh come on, don't be a baby." Rain laughed.

"You owe us." Vicente said. Lucien stood up.

"I'm going back to our hideout before you make us do something else. Are you coming Kira?" He asked.

"Yes, if I don't then you'll take Shadowmere and I'll have to run there." Kira said.

"Maybe I should just leave you here…" Lucien muttered.

"What?" Kira asked.

"What? I didn't say anything." Lucien said. Kira rolled her eyes and left with Lucien. Vicente stood up and stifled a yawn.

"What, are you going to bed already?" Rain asked.

"It's almost ten in the morning…" Vicente said.

"I thought you said that I owe you now…" Rain kissed Vicente. After a moment he pulled back and smirked at her.

"You're still not keeping Pan's diary," he said.

"Damn it!" Rain yelled.

456

_Several hours later, around sunset…_

Rain ran through the forest quickly. She had been planning to Fort Farragut to visit Kira but no one was there. So now she was just searching through the forest, to the north-east. Rain didn't go beyond Fort Farragut this often and she decided she might stumble upon Lucien and Kira. Rain gasped when she reached a clearing.

There was a large pond with a waterfall flowing into it. The water was nice and clear. The trees were all a brilliant green color. The only thing ruining the beauty was Lucien, asleep on the ground without a shirt on. His two wolfhounds, Tooth and Claw, were at his sides.

_So that's how he gets a tan…_ Rain thought. Most people rarely suspected Lucien was a vampire due to the fact that he always had a tan. Vicente avoided the sun at all costs because he wasn't used to it anymore, so he remained pale. Rain slowly approached Lucien.

He sat up immediately, with a dagger in his hand. Tooth and Claw jumped up immediately and growled at Rain stepped back. Lucien blinked a few times, letting his eyes get used to the light and then lowered the dagger. He said something in a foreign language and the hounds relaxed.

"Do you need something?" Lucien asked lazily.

"Uhh…not really. Where's Kira?" Rain asked.

"She's over in the trees over there. Be careful, she's training right now. Who knows what she's fighting." Lucien pointed towards a small path leading back into the trees. Rain nodded and followed the path. This part of the trees was very different from the beauty of the waterfall. Several trees were burnt, cut up, dead or in some other bad state. Rain heard some fighting noises nearby.

"Hey, Kira?" Rain said nervously. She found Kira. Her sister was fighting four Dark Guardians, the skeletons that guarded the Sanctuaries and Fort Farragut. Kira didn't even bother to look up and continued with the fight. Rain waited as patiently as she could. Finally Kira finished off the last guardian and looked up, panting.

"Hey Rain, what's up?" She said. Rain stared at her.

"When do you sleep?" She asked finally.

"What?" Kira asked.

"I never really see you asleep any more. I can pop up at any time and Lucien is always asleep, you're awake. When do you sleep?" Rain asked.

"Well I guess I just keep going until I either crash or Lucien gets me to fall asleep. As a Silencer I have to spend a lot more time working and traveling for contracts than Lucien. He just has to find new recruits, do the occasional contract and waste time." Kira shrugged. She did feel tired but she didn't mind.

"That doesn't seem very fair…" Rain said disapprovingly.

"It's only like this because I let it be this way. Lucien would do more contracts if I asked him and really I have just as much free time as him. I just like to work hard." Kira shrugged again.

"You know, when we were little I remember thinking Dad was crazy, now I see that I never knew true craziness until right now when you explained all that to me." Rain said slowly. Kira rolled her eyes.

"So what if it's a little crazy? Isn't every single part of our lives crazy? We're married to vampires, I kill people, and you steal things. Lucien is basically _the _definition of a psychopath and Vicente has a whole lot of hidden emotional problems." Kira said. Rain thought about that for a moment.

"You're right….that's so sad it's pathetic." She said finally. Suddenly someone jumped out of the trees and attacked Kira. She jumped back, knocked the sword out of the person's hand and tackled them to the ground. She had them face down in the dirt with a knife at their throat.

"I win again. Vampire or not, you still can't sneak up on me Luke." Kira said. Lucien growled. Kira let him stand up.

"What was that?" Rain asked.

"We have to keep each other alert." Lucien shrugged.

"So you attack each other out of nowhere…" Rain said slowly.

"Pretty much," Kira said.

"Freaks." Rain muttered. Kira and Lucien grinned and led the way back to the water fall. The wolfhounds were standing up and growling again. Lucien kneeled down next to them and started talking to them in that foreign language again.

"Master Lachance, it just looks like a messenger from the Listener." Kira said. She had used a detect life spell. Lucien stood up. Sure enough, a messenger appeared from the trees. He was just a simple Dark Elf.

"Speaker, I have a letter for you from the Listener." The Dark Elf handed over the letter. He glanced quickly at Kira, Rain and then at Lucien, who still didn't have a shirt on. There were several rumors circulating through the Brotherhood about Speaker Lachance and his Silencer. It seemed everyone in the Cheydinhal knew if there was any truth to the rumors but they remained silent.

"Will the Listener expecting a reply for this?" Lucien asked.

"No. I'll be on my way, Speaker, Silencer." The Dark Elf nodded respectfully at Lucien and Kira before running off. Lucien made sure he was gone before sitting by the water and opening the letter.

"Let's see what Jag wants us to do now…" He said. Kira and Rain tried to read from over his shoulder. Lucien put the letter down.

"Could you two…back up a few feet?" he asked.

"But we wanna read it." Rain said.

"Too bad." Lucien said. Kira and Rain rolled their eyes and walked over to sit with the wolf hounds. Lucien quickly read the letter.

"For three weeks he sends me nothing and now all I get is a new recruit? I'm starting to think I liked Ungolim better than J'ghasta as Listener…" Lucien mumbled.

"What? You only have to go and do all the creepy watching a person sleep thing? That's no fun." Kira said.

"You know what? I'm just gonna leave because I know one of you will do something to scar me for life." Rain said, she waved goodbye to Kira before disappearing into the forest. Lucien stood up and glanced at the sky. It was getting dark out now. Kira yawned.

"You should get some sleep Kira." Lucien said.

"Nah, I'm good for a little while longer…" She said.

"No. I know you haven't slept at all in the last 24 hours. You are going to bed." Lucien ordered.

"You can't make me." Kira grinned at him. Lucien moved quickly and picked Kira up in his arms. She yelped in surprise and quickly wrapped her arms around his neck.

"I'm going to get you all the way to Fort Farragut even if I have to carry you. When we get there, you are going to bed. I'll stay up until Moralis comes home." Lucien wasn't taking no for an answer this time. Kira sighed and yawned again.

"Fine…" She said sleepily. She released her grip on Lucien's neck and leaned her head on his shoulder. Lucien hummed his mother's old lullaby and Kira quickly fell asleep…

456

_The next night…_

"When will you be back?" Kira asked. Lucien pulled his hood up and looked at her.

"This shouldn't take long. Either the new recruit will past the test or they will fail. I'll return in a few hours." He said. Kira nodded and laid back in bed.

"Try not to scare them with the whole "You sleep soundly for a murderer," thing okay?" She asked.

"That's part of my job. Even ask Vicente, Speakers back when he joined said the same line." Lucien said.

"Oh don't act all insulted. Now go on. You don't want them to get far away." Kira waved at Lucien. He shook his head and then ascended the ladder. Lucien whistled sharply and Shadowmere came running. Lucien patted her nose and smirked at his faithful horse.

"We're going to the Imperial city this time, girl." Lucien said quietly. Shadowmere snorted and nuzzled his hand before Lucien jumped up into the saddle. He snapped the reins and Shadowmere took off at a full gallop.

It didn't take long to get to the Imperial City; Shadowmere was the fastest horse in all of Cyrodiil, maybe even in all of Tamriel. Lucien snuck around the city, to the Waterfront. He hadn't really paid much attention to the possible recruit's name. He never really cared. But the letter did warn that she was very talented in combat and a little paranoid. Lucien should be prepared for her to attack.

That was fine with him. Lucien loved to assert his authority as a Speaker and if he had to beat down a new recruit to make that point then he would. Maybe this recruit might even be a bit of a challenge. Before now she had apparently committed a few minor crimes so killing someone may have affected her mental status. Plus she was a former fighter in the Arena; though Lucien didn't know how far she advanced. And there was the slight problem of her "pet" Dark Elf who was always watching her back.

Lucien reached the house. It was just a shack really, like every other home in the Waterfront. The Dark Elf was on the front porch, asleep in a chair. Lucien easily snuck by and entered the shack. There was the female Imperial, sleeping on an old bed. He leaned back against the wall and waited for a while. First Lucien had to make sure the recruit slept soundly, without nightmares caused by guilt. An hour later he spoke up.

"You sleep soundly…for a murderer." Lucien said finally, changing his voice to be more serious than it normally was. The Imperial woke up immediately and pulled out a dagger.

"Who are you?" She growled. Lucien smirked. She was a fiery one.

"I am Lucien Lachance, a Speaker for the Dark Brotherhood, and you…you are a murderer, a killer…" Lucien began. He smoothly explained everything about the Brotherhood, how she could join and answered questions from the Imperial. Finally she sighed and set the dagger down. She looked tired but Lucien noticed that there was a small fire in her eyes. She needed something exciting to do. _Perfect…_Lucien thought.

"I'll kill whoever it is you want me to so I can join, but there's one condition. My Dark Elf friend sitting outside gets to come along with me. He won't betray your secrets, but I kind of depend on him sometimes." The Imperial said finally. Lucien nodded. It wasn't like his Sanctuary didn't already have people in it who weren't assassins, like Rain, Cecilia and the two little girls.

"Kill your target and the next time you sleep in a location I deem secure, I shall appear, bearing the love of your new family." Lucien said. He then cast an invisibility spell and left.

456

_Two days later…_

"So what's the new recruit's name?" Kira asked. Lucien shrugged.

"I didn't pay attention to that." He said. They were in the main room of the Sanctuary, sitting at the table in the back corner.

"So have you ever paid attention to the names of any new recruits?" Rain asked.

"The only recruit's name I ever knew was Kira's and I suppose that probably doesn't even count." Lucien said.

"You're lazy." Kira said.

"You've been married to me for how long and you're just now realizing this?" Lucien raised one eyebrow.

"Will she be here soon?" Rain asked.

"There will actually be two people. The recruit and her Dark Elf friend are both on their way now. She insisted that the Dark Elf come along." Lucien said. Kira and Rain glanced at each other.

"Doesn't that kinda sound like someone we know?" Kira asked.

"But it couldn't be…she wouldn't…join the Brotherhood…would she?" Rain replied.

"What?" Lucien asked. Before their conversation could continue, the new member and her Dark Elf friend entered. The Imperial spotted Kira and Rain right away and gaped in disbelief.

"Kira and Rain Azrael?" She said finally.

"Revan!" Kira and Rain shouted. They stood up and rushed over to their old friend, now the Champion of Cyrodiil. The Dark Elf, Olaf, stood there and shook his head.

"I told you there was always something strange about these two." He said. Kira stuck her tongue out at him.

"Good to see you too, Olaf."Rain said. Lucien leaned back in his chair. This was one of the more confusing moments of his life. Vicente walked in.

"Did I miss something?" He asked quietly.

"Apparently Kira and Rain know the new recruit…" Lucien said slowly. Kira, Rain and Revan all began talking quickly and excitedly. Olaf spotted Lucien and Vicente and slowly walked over to the safer side of the room.

"Are they always like this?" He asked.

"Every second…." Lucien began.

"Of every day…." Vicente finished. The two vampires and the Dark Elf watched the women talk excitedly to each other…

456

_An hour later…_

"So if you're basically the savior of the world then why do you live in a tiny shack on the Waterfront?" Kira asked.

"I don't really know. I guess, that was the first house I bought. I have other houses in other cities too. I just happened to be in the Imperial City." Revan shrugged.

"I guess that makes sense." Rain said.

"Hey what about that guy with the Voice? Uhh…the Speaker guy…" Revan said, trying to remember Lucien's name. She had never been good at remember things like this. That was why she had Olaf. Rain and Kira grinned at each other.

"Speaker Lachance?" Rain said.

"Yeah him…what's the whole deal with him?" Revan asked.

"It's just like he said. His name's Lucien Lachance. He's a Speaker for the Black Hand…" Rain started.

"And he's my husband." Kira said. Revan stared at her.

"I thought Martin said you married a guy name Isaac Valtieri?" She said suspiciously.

"Rain lied when she told him that…kind of. His first name is really Isaac but Lucien sounds better. And we can't go around using are actual last names. So we use Vicente's name." Kira shrugged.

"And Vicente is mine." Rain said. Revan nodded.

"And they're both vampires?"

"Yep." Rain and Kira said together. Said vampires entered the room.

"Hey guy with the Voice, bring me some food, okay?" Kira said grinning.

"Yeah, ancient vampire guy, I want food too." Rain smirked at Vicente. Lucien and Vicente stopped and stared at them.

"First you make us have that talk with the girls and now you're making us act as servants?" Lucien said slowly.

"Yep." Kira replied.

"Just do it." Rain said.

"I'm not doing it." Lucien said.

"Why not?"

"Because I'm Lucien Lachance, damn it! I'll do whatever the hell I want. If I wanted to light one of you on fire right now, I'd do it. If I wanted to hit Vicente over the head with a big rock right now, I'd do it." Lucien said angrily.

"Just shut it Lucien. No matter how hard we try they will win in the end." Vicente said.

"….You're just jealous that I'm the guy with the Voice and you're just ancient vampire guy." Lucien said, reluctantly turning around and leaving the room to do what Kira and Rain ordered. Revan looked at the two sisters.

"And you said those two were basically at the top of the Brotherhood…but they still listen to you?" She asked.

"Of course they do. They're our husbands. We control them." Kira said.

"I'm jealous." Revan said.

456

We just had to make the Champion of Cyrodiil join the Brotherhood.

That's how it always goes when we play the game!

…Though it's normally Dark Brotherhood, Thieves Guild, Daedra Worship, random killing sprees and _then_ save the world but whatever…


	24. Chapter 24

Raised in the Shadows

Disclaimer: …(eats a cupcake) TAKE THAT.

A/N: We've got a few more chapters for this and then maybe we will try a future generation story. Either that or we might start a Fable II story. Or both.

456

_One year later…_

"Damn it, I'm going to kill them! All of them!" Lucien yelled angrily. He picked up a nearby chair and threw it at the wall. It basically shattered into several pieces. Erik stepped back, worried of what his father might do.

"Maybe we could get a letter to Mom…she could get out of…" Erik began. Lucien turned to him.

"How do you suppose we get a letter to Kira, huh? She's been there for two days and the security is tight. There's no way in hell we're reaching Kira with a letter any time soon." Lucien said. There was a fire in his eyes. Erik stood there and shrugged weakly. He didn't know how to deal with his father when he was in one of his moods.

"What do we do then? I don't want to leave her there. What if they hurt her?" He asked.

"You don't do anything. You have to stay here. I'll go and take down Lex. I'm going take care of everything. You have to stay here. If something happens to me you're the next choice to join the Black Hand as your mother's Silencer, if she makes it out." Lucien said.

"I don't want to just stay here! Come on Dad, I can help!" Erik said.

"You are staying _here._ I'm your Speaker and you will obey me." Lucien said darkly. Erik sighed and nodded in defeat. There was no way he was going to risk angering his father even more.

"Okay. I'll take care of everything if it goes badly." He said. Lucien nodded and quickly climbed up the ladder. He jumped on Shadowmere and sped off as fast as possible to the Imperial City Prison. Hieronymus Lex and his men were going to pay.

456

_A few days earlier…_

"Oh come on, Lucien." Kira said. Lucien looked at her. She had a look of mock innocence on her face. She stepped closer and wrapped her arms around his neck. Lucien looked away.

"No. You always try this to get what you want." He said.

"I didn't think you'd be bothered by this." She said, kissing his cheek. Lucien smirked at her.

"I'm more worried at what Vicente would do to me." He said.

"Vicente does not control my life. I can make my own decisions." Kira said.

"I know…but being a vampire is a sensitive subject with him. I don't really want him to attack me." Lucien said. Kira grinned at him.

"Come on, I bet I could take him on if he tried to attack you…if I was a vampire." She said. She kissed Lucien. He slowly moved down until his fangs were at her throat.

"You're sure about this?" He asked. Kira gulped and nodded.

"Yes." She said. Lucien bit down until he tasted blood. He relaxed his control and allowed the vampire poison to enter Kira's system. Kira went stiff for a moment before relaxing. Vampire bites released some kind of chemical into the system that relaxed the vampire's prey. Finally Lucien pulled back and licked the blood from his lips.

"See, that wasn't so bad." Kira said, smirking at Lucien.

"Like you would've given me a choice anyway." He said. Kira continued to smirk and reached up to touch the bite marks.

"How long will it take for these to heal?" She asked. Lucien shrugged.

"A day or so." He said. He continued to try and lick all the blood from his lips. Kira stared at him.

"Couldn't you just wipe that off?" She asked.

"I could but…honestly, I don't want to. Your blood tastes good." He said.

"Just what every girl dreams of hearing from her husband." Kira rolled her eyes. Lucien smirked at her.

"I almost wish I would've done that sooner." He said.

"Oh don't tell me you're getting addicted to my blood!" Kira said. Lucien laughed and playfully snapped at her neck. Kira moved back and slapped his chest.

"Creepy vampire." She laughed.

456

Rain stared nervously at Vicente. He was almost asleep. She knew this was the best time to ask him something. But this was a difficult subject. She took a deep breath.

"Vicente…?" She said lightly. Vicente opened one eye.

"Yes?"

"Umm….Iwantyoutoturnmeintoavampire." She said quickly. Vicente opened both eyes and rolled on his side to look at her.

"What?" He asked.

"I'm asking you to turn me into a vampire…" Rain said, not looking him in the eye.

"Rain…" Vicente said slowly.

"Can it really be that bad?" Rain said. Vicente sighed and turned away.

"I don't want to talk about this right now." He said.

"Vicente…"

"Not now, Rain. We'll talk later about this…" Vicente said. Rain sighed and blew out the candle by the bed. She wrapped one arm around Vicente and fell asleep after a while. Vicente took a very long time to fall asleep. When he did fall asleep he was plagued by nightmares from when he had been turned.

456

When Rain woke up that night Vicente was already gone. She sighed. She and Kira had decided they would ask the men to turn them. They both knew Lucien wouldn't have much of a problem with it. But Vicente was different. Rain got up and left for the Sanctuary.

"Hey Kira, I'm guessing it probably went better with Lucien then it did with me and Vicente." Rain said, sitting next to her sister.

"Do you want me to go and knock some sense into that old vampire's skull?" Kira asked, covering her bite marks. Rain thought for a moment.

"Maybe it would be better if you talked to him. He might actually listen." She said. Kira nodded and walked quickly to Vicente's room.

"Hey Vicente…" She said.

"This is about Rain becoming a vampire, isn't it?" Vicente asked. He looked tired.

"Come on, you really won't do this?" Kira asked, sitting down at his table.

"I don't want to. I hated myself when I first became a vampire…" Vicente said.

"But you didn't have any one then. Rain would have you and Lucien…sort of." Kira said. Vicente looked up quickly and glanced at Kira's neck before she could cover it.

"Lucien bit you already." He said, shaking his head lightly.

"I can make my own decisions." Kira said stubbornly.

"It's not like anything I've ever said has stopped you before." Vicente said.

"See now you're just leaving Rain out to be the only human left." Kira said. Vicente gave a short chuckle.

"You know you can't guilt me into anything. I thought we already went over the fact that I'm a serial killer." He said. Kira made a face and nodded.

"I suppose that's true. But come on…" Kira whined.

"Kira, this is something I'll talk about with Rain. Go stab a random person or Lucien." Vicente said, shooing Kira away.

"Fine, but try to keep an open mind." Kira said.

"Yeah sure whatever." Vicente mumbled. Kira rolled her eyes and walked back to the Living Quarters.

"Did you talk to him?" Rain asked.

"Yeah, but you should sit down and talk with him about this. He won't listen to me this time." Kira said. Rain sighed.

"I really don't want to do this." She said.

"Just get it over with. How scary can Vicente really be? I mean, have you ever seen Lucien when I ask him things he really doesn't want to talk about?" Kira raised her eyebrows.

"No…why?" Rain asked uncertainly.

"He completely lashes out sometimes. He never hurts me but he does break things. Sometimes he just goes very quiet and doesn't speak to me for days." Kira shrugged.

"That's….unhealthy." Rain said.

"It's just how he is sometimes. I am getting worried though because he seems to have these moods more often now." Kira said.

"Wow, so…does that mean I'm not the only one with freakish problems?" Rain said hopefully.

"You've got your moody, ancient vampire. I've got…whatever Lucien is." Kira said.

"Yes!" Rain said.

"Now go talk to Vicente." Kira said, shooing Rain away.

"Fine." Rain said, walking off slowly. She walked into Vicente's room and shut the door. He looked up at her and waited patiently.

"Can we actually talk about this now?" Rain said. Vicente sighed.

"I suppose." He said. Rain took a deep breath, trying to talk as maturely as she could.

"Why won't you turn me into a vampire?" She said finally.

"Rain…don't you understand how difficult this is for me?" Vicente said.

"I know. But I want to be a vampire…" Rain said.

"Why? Why would you want to be some kind of monster?" Vicente said, sounding angry.

"You're not a monster or an animal or anything like that!" Rain insisted like she had so many times before. Vicente stood up and turned away, clenching his fists.

"Rain…it gets old after a while. Being a vampire for such a long time changes you." Vicente said darkly. Rain walked up and wrapped her arms around Vicente and rested her head on his shoulder.

"Come on….I'll have you when I turn. You wouldn't let something evil happen to me." She said.

"Please don't ask this of me…" Vicente said pleadingly.

"I guess I could always ask Lucien…" Rain said thoughtfully. Vicente growled and instantly turned around.

"No. Don't you ever ask him that. You are mine." Vicente said. Rain stepped back and nodded.

"Okay, I get it. Vampire male dominance and all that. Just think about it, please?" She said.

"Rain…" Vicente sighed.

"I'll love you forever if you do!" Rain said. Vicente gave a short chuckle before turning serious again.

"Fine, I'll think about it. No promises." He said. Rain kissed him quickly.

"Thank you." She said. She quickly left his room so he could work. Vicente sat down. He had the feeling that no matter what he did, he wouldn't win.

456

"I have a contract for you." Lucien said. Kira looked up.

"Really? What is it?" She asked excitedly. It'd been almost a week since her last contract.

"There's a fort in the mountains near Bruma. It has very high security so you won't be able to break in. You'll have to go under cover and blend in with the guards there for a few days. Your target is the guard captain at the fort." Lucien said, pulling out a map and pointing to where the fort was.

"Great, sounds like fun." Kira grinned. She stood up to leave.

"Hang on. Why don't you wait until you've fully changed?" Lucien said.

"Do I really have to?" Kira whined.

"Yes." Lucien said seriously.

"I'm sure I'll be fine. I can find someone to feed on there." Kira started to walk towards the ladder. Lucien grabbed her arm and pulled her back.

"No, Kira." He said. Kira saw a small spark of anger light up his eyes. She sighed.

"Okay…don't get angry." She said. Lucien looked away.

"Sorry…" He mumbled. Kira smirked at him and rested her head on his chest.

"I still wanna go…" She said.

"You're not going until you're done turning. Just two more days." Lucien ordered.

"Whatever you say, oh great and terrible Speaker." Kira said mockingly. She walked into the bedroom and sprawled out on the bed. Lucien followed her in and started to look through the drawers, he was looking for something.

"What did you lose now?" Kira asked, staring at the ceiling.

"Did you see where I put that new poison?" Lucien asked. Kira sighed.

"No, you have so many different poisons I can't keep track of them." She said.

"You're no help." Lucien said. Erik walked in the room.

"Hey, I'm leaving for a contract in Imperial City. I'm gonna take Moralis with me." He said.

"Yeah, sure, whatever." Kira and Lucien said together.

"Stay out of the alcohol and don't cause trouble." Erik said, rolling his eyes.

"Uh-huh," his parents replied.

"Keep an eye on your sister." Kira said.

"Yeah, yeah…" Erik said, walking out of the room. He climbed up the ladder to find Moralis waiting for him with a horse.

"What took you so long?" She asked.

"Oh shut up, kid. Just be glad I'm taking you with me." Erik said. Moralis rolled her eyes and jumped onto the horse. Erik climbed on behind her.

"So how many targets do you have in Imperial City?" Moralis asked as they started to ride off.

"Seven targets. It'll be hard. A lot of them are guards at the palace. Two of them are at the prison." Erik said.

"Okay."

"Moralis, make sure you're careful when we're on the contracts. Even Dad has been caught in the palace. And security has only gotten worse since the Oblivion Crisis ended." Erik said.

"I know, I'm not stupid." Moralis said.

"Uh-huh." Erik said sarcastically. Moralis elbowed her older brother in the stomach.

"Ouch, I'm telling Mom!" He said.

"Oh don't be such a whiny princess." Moralis said. Erik shook his head and started off at a gallop towards Imperial City. It would take about 12 hours or so. On Shadowmere it would only take a few hours but Lucien rarely let anyone else touch his horse. Erik sighed and mentally prepared himself for a long trip.

456

_Two days later…_

_She was lying on her back on a hill. It was summer, the only time of year that there was no snow in Bruma. It was the middle of night. It was such a perfect night; full moon, no clouds and all of the stars were out. _A cloudless midnight…_she thought silently._

_She lay there for hours, until the sun came up. Then everything changed. It was so _bright._ Her entire body felt like it was on fire. The pain was so incredible. She could feel life fading away…and then darkness…_

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"Kira!" Lucien was shaking her. Kira opened her eyes immediately.

"What the hell was that?" She asked, panting slightly.

"Vampire nightmare," Lucien said. Kira groaned. She could feel it now. She felt so different from yesterday. She glanced around the dark room. She could see almost perfectly. She could smell a lot too; the alchemy ingredients in the other room, some rotten food that must be in Erik's room and the blood on Lucien's robes in the corner.

Kira's eyes widened. _Blood…_that one word consumed all other thoughts. Kira rolled to face Lucien. He smirked at her.

"You need blood." He said. Kira nodded. Lucien literally rolled out of bed and walked over to his robes. He pulled out a vial and walked back to the bed.

"Here, I always have some blood with me, just in case." He said. Kira snatched the vial from his hands and swallowed the contents. She instantly felt the effects. Her eyesight dimmed a bit, but it was still better than average. She also didn't feel as strong as she had a moment ago.

"Thank you," Kira said finally. Lucien nodded. He stretched out on the bed again and wrapped an arm around Kira.

"I should probably start that contract." She said.

"Later…if you get up then I'll have to get up." Lucien said lazily.

"Why?" Kira asked. Lucien had never bothered to get up for any reason. The room could be on fire and he'd sleep through it.

"While you're in Bruma, J'ghasta is coming to Cheydinhal. I do not want to be asleep when he gets here. But if you're still here then he won't bother us." Lucien said.

"What would J'ghasta do to you while you're sleeping?" Kira raised one eyebrow.

"The last time he did something was when I was 17. You remember that one week where I never took off my hood? That's because he somehow dyed my hair bright green." Lucien said. Kira laughed.

"I knew you were acting strange during that week!" She said, through laughs.

"So please don't leave me here for Jag to do something horrible. I happen to like my hair in its natural color." Lucien said almost sounding desperate. Kira laughed harder.

"Okay fine, but I'm only staying for another hour. Then I want to start on the contract," Kira said.

"You just want to leave me here at the cruel mercy of our Listener." Lucien said darkly.

"Of course I do!" Kira grinned at him.

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"Have you made up your mind yet?" Rain asked for what seemed like the hundredth time.

"I told you. I have to seriously think about it. Give me another day or so. Be patient Rain," Vicente smirked at the Wood Elf. Rain groaned.

"Patient? Vicente you've known me my whole life. I am not a patient person!" Rain shouted. Vicente couldn't help but laugh. Despite the sensitive topic this was about he couldn't help but have some fun bothering Rain.

"Relax Rain, I've almost made up my mind. You should remember that this will affect the rest of our lives. Do you really want to spend centuries with Lucien, Kira and I?" Vicente raised one eyebrow. Rain glared at him.

"I wouldn't be asking this if I didn't think I could stand centuries with you. As for Kira and Lucien…well I'm sure they won't stick around that much," Rain said.

"Hey Mom, are you in there?" Cecilia said from the other side of the door.

"Yes, what do you need?" Rain asked. Cecilia walked in.

"I need to go dress shopping. Weren't you going to come along?" She asked. Rain sighed and nodded.

"Yes, I'll be down in just a minute. Does Crystal want to come?" She asked, grabbing some money.

"No, she wants to stay with Vicente." Cecilia said. She had never called Vicente Dad. They both agreed it seemed too different. In Vicente's opinion anything was better than "Vecaltuh" or "Vissy." Crystal walked into the room and stood next to her father.

"Go on, and try not to spend too much money." Vicente said, shooing away Rain and Cecilia.

"Dad, can you teach me that chameleon spell now?" Crystal asked once they were gone. Vicente smirked down at his daughter. She was only part vampire. She could age and grow like anyone else. She had to drink blood every other month or so.

"I don't know…I have so much work…" Vicente began.

"Dad!" Crystal said. Vicente laughed and nodded.

"Okay, I'll teach you the spell." He said. Vicente began to instruct Crystal on how to control magic so it could surround the body, making the user invisible. But the whole time he was thinking about turning Rain into a vampire.

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_Three days later…_

Erik sprinted through the sewers. The guards had grabbed her. He wasn't going to let them get away. He had to keep her safe. Erik found another door. It was locked. He swore loudly and fumbled around for a moment with a lock pick. He gave up a moment later and just bashed in the door.

How could he worry about stealth at a time like this? Hieronymus Lex was probably waiting for him anyway. Erik continued to sprint until he came to some guards. He rushed forward and cut the first one down. The other one was dead as soon as he pulled out his sword. The final one was fast. He put up a good fight but still failed in the end. Erik looked up and swore.

He had realized that during the fight he had gotten turned around. There were several doors here. Erik sighed and chose a door, hoping it was the right one. He walked through it…and ended up outside. The wind came up and the door slammed shut before he could catch it. He turned back to open it but it was locked. And he couldn't pick the lock either.

"Damn it all to hell!" Erik said, kicking the door. He knew swearing and kicking the door never helped but it made him feel a little better. Erik looked up when he heard footsteps. There was a guard walking up. The guard spotted him and quickly shouted to others nearby. Erik swore again.

_Never stay if guards start to swarm. Nothing is worth getting caught and having the guards learn about the Dark Brotherhood. _Lucien's voice said in Erik's head. Erik sighed and took off running into the forest. He cast an invisibility spell as soon as he could and found his horse. He knew he couldn't get Moralis back from the guards in the prison. He'd have to rush back to Cheydinhal and tell his father. Lucien could deal with it.

Erik found his horse and pushed it into a full gallop. He didn't care if the horse died from exhaustion. He was going to make it back to Cheydinhal and Fort Farragut as soon as possible.

Several hours later he was rushing down the ladder in Fort Farragut. Erik quickly told his father. And Lucien's rage began…

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_Present time…_

Lucien pushed Shadowmere as fast as she could go. She was incredibly fast. But Lucien still felt like he was going too slowly. It would only take about two hours to get there but he knew what the guards of Imperial City were capable of in two hours. For now he could do nothing but sit back on his horse and hope she could go even faster.

Lucien knew what he was doing now was probably one of the stupidest things he'd done in a long time. Rushing in and trying to take down Hieronymus Lex and the guards was going to be difficult. It would probably be best if he did wait for Kira but who knew how long she'd take on her contract. She always liked to waste time in Bruma.

Shadowmere started to slow a bit to avoid jumping over a fallen tree. Lucien just shouted at her and pushed her back into full gallop. She jumped over the tree and snorted angrily. Lucien glared down at his horse. He could feel the rage flowing through his veins. He was going to make Hieronymus Lex beg for his life for taking Moralis…

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WHOO…dark, ANGRY Lucien.

Hey, we actually kinda get a kick out of it.

Oh and thanks for all of the reviews.

They help us make it through the LONG school year.


	25. Chapter 25

Raised in the Shadows

Disclaimer: No we do not own Oblivion.

A/N: YES, OVER 50 REVIEWS. We lurv all of you! Yes, lurv, it's better than love.

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"I don't want to have to hurt you. Just tell us where the Dark Brotherhood is…" Hieronymus Lex stared down at the girl.

"No, I don't want to tell you!" Moralis said, moving as far away as possible from the guard captain. Lex groaned in frustration. The girl was being stubborn. She refused to tell them anything at all. Soon he might have to move on to more…violent forms of interrogation.

"Just tell us and no harm will come to you. You'll get to see your family again…" Lex said. Moralis glared at him. She wasn't a little kid who could be easily fooled.

"I'm not going to trust you! Go away…" Moralis said. Lex clenched his fists and left the small cell. He sat down at the table away from the cells.

"No luck this time sir?" One of the guards asked.

"Not yet. But it's only been a few hours. After a few days she'll break…" Lex said confidently. Ever since Adamus Phillida had been murdered by the Dark Brotherhood, Hieronymus Lex had taken control of investigating the assassins. He figured that the Thieves Guild could wait. At least they didn't kill people.

Phillida had been like family to Lex. After his death Lex had become unstable. He was no longer beyond holding a child in a cell. As far as he was concerned Moralis was part of the Dark Brotherhood. The only information Lex had gotten out of her was that her name was Moralis Lachance.

_Lachance…_ Lex thought bitterly. There wasn't a single guard who hadn't heard the name Lachance. The whole family line was known to cause trouble. Pirates, thieves, scooma addicts…there was always one Lachance for every generation to cause trouble. But the main one now was Lucien Lachance. The guards kept a file on everything and anything that was heard about Lachance.

Lex had looked over the file so many times he knew it better than the file on the Grey Fox. Lachance had a massive bounty on his head that was over 300,000 gold. He was wanted for several murders, theft, breaking and entering, attempted murder, assaulting a member of the guard, assaulting a citizen of the empire and one account of public intoxication.

And then there was the other main assassin. There was no file on her because everyone believed she was dead. She was known only to the common guard as the Silencer, a small bit of information they had gathered from a beggar. _Kira Azrael…_ the bounty on her head was around 250,000 gold. Lex knew she had committed just as many crimes as Lachance, minus the public intoxication. Lex would give anything for there to be a file on Azrael but he couldn't. The Azrael family was related to the Septims. Lex couldn't say anything bad about them. Lex sighed and stood up.

"Make sure the security is increased. We don't want any surprises." He said. He walked out of the dungeon and up to the barracks. He might as well get an hour of sleep before trying to talk to the girl again.

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Lucien jumped off of Shadowmere. He was at the secret entrance that would lead to an old cell in the prison. Lucien almost felt nervous. The last time he had used this path Christine and Azaka had been killed. But he wouldn't let that happen to Moralis. He'd die before anything else happened to her. Lucien easily picked the lock and cast an invisibility spell. Even if he sprinted through the sewers and dungeons it will still take him a few hours to get to the cell.

Lucien looked back to make sure Shadowmere was staying nearby and then entered the sewers. There were only goblins and rats down there. He could easily sneak by those. In 20 minutes he was already entering the lowest parts of the prison. Here was where it was difficult. Lex was definitely expecting trouble. Lucien had never seen so many guards in a small area before.

Luckily for Lucien, most guards were stupid. Some were easily distracted from their posts by the sound of a rock being thrown against a far away wall. Some guards even moved away from their post because they needed to stretch their legs. But there were a lot of guards.

Lucien was glad that he had vampire instincts on his side. He had several detect life spells at his disposal. He could hear and smell some guards before they were even remotely close to him. Lucien ran without making a single sound. He was a master at this. Eventually Lucien reached the stairs leading to the cell that was always kept empty. Lucien pulled out his sword and sprinted up the stairs…

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Kira sprinted through the forest. She had to admit, being a vampire was fun. The extra strength and speed really helped on contracts. Her last contract had been shorter than she'd expected. An opportunity that was too good to pass up had presented itself. She had killed the target and then ran like hell from the personal guards of the fort.

Kira had figured she'd just hurry back to Cheydinhal. She was worried about Lucien lately. His temper tantrums had been increasingly worse over the last few months. Kira thought Lucien was too stressed. She knew it would be best to talk to him while Erik and Moralis were in the Imperial City. Kira reached Fort Farragut and jumped down the ladder.

"Hey Lucien…?" Kira looked around. She instantly knew Lucien wasn't there.

"Mom…I thought you weren't going to be back for days…" Erik walked out of his room looking nervous.

"What are you doing back?" Kira raised one eyebrow. Erik sighed.

"Something happened in the Imperial City…" He quickly told her what had happened. Kira sat down at the table slowly.

"Hieronymus Lex has my daughter…" She said.

"But Dad went after her. He can save her, can't he?" Erik asked. Kira looked up.

"I think we should be more worried about what Lucien will do then what will happen to Moralis. He'll save her…but he's unstable. Lucien might do something stupid to get the guards all over him." She said worriedly.

"What do we do then?" Erik asked. Kira stood up.

"I should speak with Vicente about this. But I think no matter what we should all stay put here…" She said slowly.

"Why?" Erik glanced up at his mother.

"Like I said, Lucien's unstable right now. But we know for sure that Moralis will be okay. After I speak to Vicente I might run down there but Erik I need you to stay here, no matter what…" Kira said. Erik nodded. Kira left the fort and ran to the Sanctuary.

"Vicente, something's come up." Kira said quickly, walking into the vampire's room. Vicente looked up.

"What's going on?" He asked. Kira quickly explained everything that Erik had told her. Vicente sat back thoughtfully.

"And Lucien is the only one after Lex right now?" He asked. Kira nodded.

"What do you think?" She asked.

"That's not a very good situation…We have to worry about what Lucien will do." Vicente said.

"I know…I think I should run to the prison. Maybe I can get there in time to make some kind of difference." Kira said.

"It takes hours to get there, even with your new vampire speed. Are you sure you want to run down there?" Vicente looked at Kira.

"Yes, I have to at least do something. If anything I can find Moralis and get Shadowmere...if something happens to Lucien. But even if he is unstable, I think he'll destroy Hieronymus Lex." Kira sounded confident.

"I'm not worried about Lex. Lucien will probably rip him to shreds. But what happens if several guards come after him? Even Lucien has his limits when backed into a corner. The traitor incident all those years ago proved that." Vicente said.

"Don't remind me… I'm going to run to Imperial City. Lucien…he'll have to be okay. He's too stubborn to let some idiot guards take him down." Kira turned and left the Sanctuary. On the way she passed Rain. Rain stared after her sister curiously and shrugged. She entered Vicente's room.

"What's Kira doing back?" Rain asked. Vicente sighed.

"Moralis was captured by Hieronymus Lex in Imperial City. Lucien left hours ago to get her. We're worried he's going to do something stupid…" He said. Rain sat down next to Vicente.

"You really think Lucien could get himself killed there?" She asked. Vicente nodded.

"Lucien's unstable right now. He's bound to make a mistake at some point. Even Lucien can't take on every guard at the prison." He said. Rain leaned against him.

"…What about Moralis and Kira? If Kira runs down there will she get hurt?" She asked.

"I doubt it. We all know that Lex will be ripped to shreds before he can lay a hand on Moralis. Lucien will get her out of there and Kira can get her away and back home." Vicente sighed and buried his face in the side of Rain's neck. She could tell he was tired and worried.

"I made up my mind…" Vicente said after a while, needing to focus on something else. Rain turned to look at him.

"Really?" she asked.

"I'll do it…" Vicente said. Rain grinned at him.

"You really will?" She said. Vicente nodded.

"I decided that you would just keep bothering me until I gave in anyway…" he said. Rain's grin turned to a smirk.

"I love having that kind of power over you," she said. Rain was pretty sure she heard Vicente mumble something that rhymed with "duck two." Rain gasped melodramatically.

"Vicente Valtieri, such language!" she said. Vicente rolled his eyes at her. A second later he had his fangs at her neck.

"Do you want me to do it now?" he asked. Vicente could feel Rain's pulse. It was somewhat difficult to control himself at the moment. He hadn't fed in a few days.

"Now's as good a time as any…" Rain said. She was a little nervous but she trusted Vicente. Vicente bit into her neck with his fangs. He heard Rain gasp and then relax. Vicente released his poison into her system. A few seconds later he pulled back and looked at Rain.

Rain blinked a few times. She was a little disoriented from the blood loss. After a minute she was able to think straight again.

"See, that wasn't so bad." She grinned at Vicente.

"I'm holding it against you for the rest of eternity," he replied. Rain just continued to grin at him.

456

Lex walked down to the dungeons again. He was only more frustrated. He had been unable to get any sleep at all. It had already been a few more hours. He took a large gulp of ale before entering Moralis's cell again. She was still cowering in the corner.

"You are going to tell me, _now._" Lex said.

"No." Moralis said defiantly. Lex cursed and threw the empty ale bottle at the wall. It shattered. Some of the glass flew and cut Moralis's cheek. She gasped in surprise and fear. Lex stumbled over to her. Moralis covered her head with her arms. He was going to hit her, she just knew it. Suddenly Moralis shivered and her blood turned to ice as she felt a shadow pass over her.

"What the-AAAUGH!!" Lex shouted in surprise. There was a loud crash and several swear words from the guard captain. Moralis slowly looked up. The door to her cell was wide open. Cautiously, she stood up and approached the hallway. She looked to her left to see Lex had been thrown into a table.

"Are you alright?" Lucien appeared from nowhere, deactivating his spell. Moralis gasped in surprise.

"Dad!" Moralis finally yelped, wrapping her arms around Lucien. Lucien returned the hug with one arm. Moralis stepped back to look at him. Something was different. There was a flame burning in his eyes that she'd never seen before.

"You should try and sneak out of here…I'm going to take care of Lex." Lucien said coldly.

"But Dad…we should just get out of here." Moralis said. Lucien opened his mouth to respond but he had to grab Moralis quickly and jump out of the way. Lex was back on his feet and had thrown a chair at Lucien.

"Lucien Lachance," Lex spit on the ground, "I should've known you'd make it past the other guards." Lucien glared at Lex. Lucien pulled out his sword quickly and rushed at Lex. Lex smirked at him.

"GUARDS, GUARDS, COME DOWN HERE QUICKLY, LACHANCE IS HERE." Lex shouted. Lucien swore as he heard the door open. Three guards entered the room. Lucien quickly cast a summoning spell to create a Dark Guardian to protect Moralis. He continued after Lex.

"You're dead." Lucien growled before stabbing at Lex. Lex tried to move away but tripped over the broken table. Lucien's sword cut deeply into his arm.

Moralis was doing her best to stay out of the way of the Dark Guardian while still helping out. She knew some basic Destruction Magic and was using shock spells on the guards. She couldn't do a lot of damage but every little bit helped.

Lex shouted out from the pain but recovered. He quickly pulled out his own sword and countered Lucien's attacks. Lucien gave him a dark smirk. He was a master swordsman compared to Lex. You learned a lot of different tactics when you spend your whole life as an assassin; tactics that guards never learned.

Lucien lunged forward and gripped Lex's hand. He twisted violently. There was a loud cracking noise as Lex's wrist broke. Lex howled from the pain and dropped his sword. Lucien chuckled darkly and slashed at Led's chest. He made a deep gash. Lex swayed and collapsed to the ground…

Lucien kicked him and then used a shock spell. Lex's body twitched violently from the shock. Lucien chuckled cruelly and turned away. He would be back for Lex later…

More guards were coming now. Lucien sprinted forward, picked up Moralis in his arms and ran off, using all of his vampire speed.

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Lucien finally made it outside and set Moralis down. He had just killed the guards that got in his way while escaping. Lucien panted and sat down for a moment.

"Are you sure you're alright, Moralis?" he asked. Moralis nodded.

"They didn't hurt me. Are you okay, Dad?" She asked.

"Of course I'm fine…" Lucien said. The both get up to leave but Lucien suddenly yelled out with pain. There was an arrow deep in his left arm and another in his side. Lucien staggered forward a few steps before turning around. There was a guard standing nearby with a crossbow and some more arrows.

Lucien swore and started to rush at the guard but he collapsed. _The arrows are poisoned…_Lucien thought. He could barely move at all.

"Moralis, go, Shadowmere's nearby." Lucien managed to grunt. Moralis shook her head.

"No…I don't want to…" She said.

"DAMN IT, GO!" Lucien shouts. Moralis tearfully nodded and turns away. She ran quickly over to Shadowmere and climbed up to the saddle. She glanced back at her father on the ground. The guard was aiming carefully for the kill. Moralis turned her head away. She heard the bow shoot but it was the guard who shouted out. Moralis looked back up.

Kira had appeared from nowhere and had punched the guard. The crossbow had shot him in the leg. Kira quickly pulled out her sword and killed the guard. Then she rushed over to Lucien.

"Mom!" Moralis quickly jumped off Shadowmere and ran over to her parents.

"Are you alright?" Kira asked. Moralis nodded.

"Good…" Kira sighed.

"You couldn't have gotten here a little sooner, _before_ he shot me?" Lucien asked once Kira had kneeled down next to him. Kira grinned.

"Actually I was here and I could've stopped him but I was having too much fun." She said.

"If I could move, I'd kill you right now." Lucien growled. Kira laughed and swiftly pulled out the arrows. She rummaged through her back for a moment until she found a potion. She got Lucien to drink the potion. Slowly he sat up.

"You have horrible timing. I could've used your help a long time ago." Lucien said.

"You're welcome." Kira rolled her eyes and helped him up. Lucien dusted off his robes and whistled for Shadowmere. He was still a little stiff from the paralysis potion but other than that he was fine.

"Can Shadowmere hold three people?" Moralis asked.

"Of course she can, she's my horse." Lucien almost sounded insulted at the thought of someone not believing in his horse. Kira and Moralis got on Shadowmere. Lucien grabbed the money from the dead guard's pockets before jumping up behind Kira.

Hours later they were at Fort Farragut. Moralis was asleep, leaning against Kira. Kira had the reins and stopped Shadowmere by the secret entrance.

"Lucien, can you carry Moralis in?" Kira asked. There was no answer. "Lucien?" Kira felt Lucien slump against her and snore lightly. He was asleep. Kira shook her head and elbowed Lucien in the stomach.

"Ow, what the hell?" Lucien groaned.

"Carry Moralis inside," Kira ordered.

"I'm the one who was injured and you're making me do all the work?" Lucien whined into Kira's neck.

"Yep. Now get to it, pack mule," Kira grinned at Lucien as she skillfully slipped off the horse without waking Moralis.

"You're a cruel hearted bitch." Lucien flipped Kira off. Kira walked over to the trapdoor and smiled at Lucien.

"I love you too." She said before disappearing inside. Lucien shook his head and picked up Moralis carefully. He hopped off Shadowmere and jumped down the trapdoor, never making a sound. Kira was already talking to Erik.

"I'm glad she's okay." Erik said once he spotted his sister.

"Here you take her, I'm going to bed." Lucien dumped Moralis into Erik's arms and walked into his bedroom. Kira made sure both of her children were fine before following after Lucien.

Lucien was already out of his Speaker robes and wearing his plain clothes. He was currently pulling off his left boot. Kira walked closer and sat next to him.

"Take off your shirt." Kira ordered suddenly.

"What?" Lucien raised one eyebrow as he turned to her.

"You know that cloth like thing you wear that covers your arms, back and chest? I'm telling you to take it off," Kira said slowly.

"I'm aware of what a shirt is, Kira. I'm asking why," Lucien said dryly.

"I need to check your wounds from those arrows. I wanna make sure none of the poison is left and that they heal properly. What kind of Silencer would I be if I didn't look after my _precious _Speaker?" Kira cooed sarcastically.

"Yeah right. You've been trying to off me since day one. It's all a huge conspiracy by you, Bellamont, Antionetta and that one priest in Kvatch from all those years ago…" Lucien growled, pulling off his shirt.

"Definitely, I've been trying to kill you since I was four years old. How did you ever catch on to my plan?" Kira rolled her eyes as she inspected Lucien's first wound on his left side. She poked and prodded a bit at the cut.

"Ouch, stop that." Lucien said.

"Don't be such a baby…oh lovely…" Kira had moved on to the cut on Lucien's left arm.

"What?" Lucien tried to turn his head to see but couldn't.

"You're lucky, Lucien. The arrow _almost_ cut your Black Hand tattoo. You probably would've had to get a new one…" Kira smirked as she heard Lucien curse again while she healed the cut.

"Ow, okay that's enough. My injuries are fine. You can stop now," Lucien said. Kira chuckled and finished with the cut. She and Lucien got comfortable in bed. After several minutes neither one was anywhere near sleep. Lucien could tell Kira was fidgeting nervously, something she had done since she was a teenager. Lucien had to admit he was close to fidgeting too.

"Something's bothering you, Luke. What are you planning now?" Kira asked after a while.

"What makes you think I'm planning anything?" Lucien asked innocently. Kira propped herself up on one elbow.

"Because I know you, _Isaac._" Kira said. Lucien sighed. Kira was always serious when she used his first name.

"I'm going to go after Lex soon. He's going to pay…" Lucien said angrily.

"Lucien, we already got our daughter back, isn't that enough? I'm sure you did enough damage to Lex already," Kira sounded tired.

"Trust me on this. I'll be fine. I've got a plan." Lucien said confidently. Kira sighed and nodded.

"If you're sure…" She said. Lucien pulled her closer and kissed her. He smirked at her.

"Why are you so worried? It's me we're talking about. I'll be just fine," Lucien said.

"It's because it's you that I'm so worried." Kira replied. Lucien rolled his eyes before kissing her again.

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_A few days later…_

Lucien woke up to something licking his ear. He groaned and rolled away. Something on his other side licked his other ear. Lucien grunted angrily and rolled onto his back. He opened his eyes slowly to see his two wolfhounds at his sides.

"Tooth, Claw, go away." Lucien mumbled. The hounds simply grinned at him.

"I will beat you with a large stick. Go away." Lucien tried again. The hounds both barked happily. Lucien sighed. Suddenly the hounds jumped up, both licking Lucien wildly. Lucien shouted with surprise and attempted to protect himself. Soon the hounds managed to get Lucien to the edge of the bed and he fell to the floor with a thud. Tooth and Claw sat on the bed, staring intently at their master.

"Fine, I'll get up. Bloody mutts…" Lucien mumbled as he carefully got up and walked to the door. The hounds followed faithfully. It seemed they wanted something. Lucien glanced down at them and shrugged.

"Hey Kira, do you have any idea what these two idiots want?" He asked as he entered the main room. Kira was sitting at the table, talking to Rain.

"They haven't gotten to kill anything recently. You should take them with you when you go after Lex." Kira said.

"Of course, even your pets are psychopaths…" Rain said. Lucien walked closer to grab an apple. He stopped to stare at Rain.

"Did you do something with your hair?" He asked. Rain felt like banging her head against the wall until she passed out.

"Are you blind?! I already had to go through this with Kira. Not you too! I. Am. A. _Vampire._ Now…" Rain said slowly, motioning towards her red eyes and fangs.

"I still think it's your hair but whatever. I'm gonna go torture Hieronymus Lex now…I'll be back in time for dinner." Lucien pulled on a shirt and grabbed his sword. He left the room through the iron gate.

"Why is he going that way?" Rain asked.

"Since the wolfhounds are coming I guess he's not taking the ladder today." Kira shrugged. They continued to talk about how much fun it was to be a vampire…

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_Hours later…_

Lucien slammed shut the small door that lead into the cave. He sealed it permanently with magic. He could hear Lex trying to crawl his way to the door. The wolfhounds sniffed the door suspiciously before barking happily at Lucien.

"You sick bastard, Lachance! You won't get away with this!" Lex shouted weakly. Lucien laughed. It had been easy to capture Lex while he was injured. Then Lucien had bitten him, turning Lex into a vampire.

"Oh I'm sure I'll get away with this. You'll be stuck here forever, Lex; unable to die, yet never living. You'll forever be consumed by your thirst for blood. But you'll never be able to get it…" Lucien smirked. He could picture Lex on the ground by the door with his legs broken; bite marks on his arms from the hounds and several cuts all along his body.

Lucien turned and walked away. He was finished here. Hieronymus Lex would suffer for eternity. And Lucien had all eternity himself to enjoy it. He heard Lex shout one final time before mounting Shadowmere and riding off into the darkness with his wolfhounds following faithfully.

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"I'm just wondering if in a few centuries we're going to regret this…how long will we really stand being around them?" Lucien asked. Vicente shrugged.

"I never even thought of that. But it's too late now isn't it?" He said. Kira and Rain walked into Vicente's room.

"What are you two talking about now?" Rain asked.

"Whether or not we'll be able to stand being around you two for all eternity." Vicente said simply. Kira and Rain both crossed their arms and glared at the men.

"Well…what if we get tired of sleeping with each other? Do we sleep with other people?" Lucien asked without thinking. He instantly regretted saying that.

"You assholes!" Kira said. She and Rain instantly kneed the men where it hurts and walked away. Lucien and Vicente both collapsed to the ground in pain.

"Mother f-----!" they both shouted.

456

And once again Kira and Rain save the day.

Now you may say they really didn't do much but they saved the day.

Don't you dare argue.

We know where you live.

Muahahahaha.


	26. Chapter 26

Raised in the Shadows

Disclaimer: In the true end does anyone own anything? (Gaaraxocfan whacks Wantaco79) "ENOUGH ABOUT THE END!" (Wantaco79 grins)

"Never."

A/N: Sorry, we took a break from writing for Spring Break. This is unfortunately the last chapter. It's really just a random chapter that includes all of our favorite characters….and whatnot….really the whole chapter is Lucien getting owned by everyone in just about every way possible. Anyway we will be back with either a Fable 2 story, or even the future generation story of this. Only time will tell.

456

_Four years later…_

Vicente had hid in a lot of strange places during his long life. Heck, he had even been hiding in strange places when he was still a child. He remembered hiding under a pile of hay from his mother when he had broken a vase. He remembered hiding under his first wife's bed when they had been teenagers and he was avoiding her father.

But this was definitely one of the strangest places. Vicente decided that there were several assassins who would consider it an immense honor to be hiding in the rafter above the emperor's bedroom with Lucien Lachance nearby, relying on them for back-up. Vicente was counting the seconds until he would be able to escape.

Lucien was sleeping nearby. Nothing could prevent Lucien Lachance from sleeping when he got the chance. _Lucky idiot…_ Vicente thought. Vicente had to stay aware of their surroundings. Killing one important person inside the Imperial Palace was one thing. But he and Lucien had just killed seven major representatives from all around the world. Guards were everywhere.

The door below opened and Vicente prepared himself for a guard to walk in. But instead Martin Septim, the emperor, walked in. Vicente relaxed and watched the emperor sit down wearily on his bed.

Vicente had lived long enough to see eight different emperors rule over Tamriel. Most of them were blundering idiots who had everything handed to them on a silver platter. But Martin was different from the other emperors. He had grown up in a farming family and used to be a priest. Vicente had decided that Martin was one of the better emperors.

The emperor yawned and stretched exhaustedly. Vicente was able to catch a glimpse of his face clearly. He remembered that Rain had told him something about the Azrael family and the Septims but he hadn't really been paying attention at the time and couldn't remember what it was. Vicente had always been disconnected from the people of Cyrodiil, having grown up in Morrowind, so he knew nothing of the royal family's history and relatives.

Lucien stirred and sat up. He looked around sleepily, taking in their surroundings. He was about to say something but then spotted Martin down below. Vicente signaled for Lucien to remain silent. Lucien nodded and moved closer.

"How are we going to get out of here?" he whispered very quietly. Vicente sat back for a moment to think.

"We should wait for the emperor to fall asleep. His wife is currently away on some trip so it will be easy to sneak past while he sleeps," Vicente whispered back just as quietly. Lucien nodded and relaxed again. Both assassins and the emperor glanced at the window in the room as they all heard someone climbing up to the room.

Vicente and Lucien shrugged at each other. Maybe this was another assassin, coming to kill the emperor. They weren't going to stop him. Why would they care? Martin however, valued his life, so he grabbed a sword and stood by cautiously. He glanced out of the window.

"What in the name of Akatosh….Kira and Rain?!" Martin couldn't help but laugh as he stepped back. A second later Kira and Rain climbed in through the window, both grinning widely. Vicente and Lucien stared in disbelief down below.

"Hey Martin…" The girls said together, both hugging him. Martin stepped back.

"It's been years! I'm not even going to ask why you're climbing through my window. How are you two doing?" Martin asked. When Kira and Rain had lived in Bruma he had become accustomed to them doing strange things.

"Well…let's see…my son, Erik, is 24 now and my daughter Moralis is 17…" Kira began.

"And my daughter Cecilia is almost 24 and Crystal is 16. Our husbands are both….well…they're them." Rain said.

"Meaning that they are both a couple of blundering idiots who can't do anything for themselves." Kira grinned up at the ceiling, knowing that Vicente and Lucien were hiding up there. Lucien and Vicente both growled silently. Martin chuckled.

"I am happy to see the both of you…but…you shouldn't be sneaking around. There have just been seven assassinations here in the palace. A guard could have thought you two were the assassins!" Martin said.

"Oh…we didn't know about the assassinations…to be honest we thought it would be fun to play hide and seek here before coming to see you…." Rain said innocently.

"Our husbands are actually hiding around here somewhere…we honestly knew nothing of the situation!" Kira added. At any other time Martin would have thought this suspicious. But he was exhausted and would never believe his cousins capable of doing something terrible like killing someone…or even stealing.

"Oh guys, it's okay…we give up. You guys win the game." Rain said innocently. Lucien and Vicente looked at each other uncertainly, before jumping down from the rafters.

"Martin…you already met Vicente when he was injured…" Rain said.

"And this is Isaac…my _darling _husband." Kira said sarcastically. Martin nodded at Vicente. When he turned to Lucien they both stared at each other before their expressions both changed to ones of fury.

"YOU!" Martin and Lucien shouted in disbelief. Vicente and Kira had to rush to hold back Lucien while Rain restrained Martin.

"YOU'RE THAT STUPID PRIEST FROM KVATCH!" Lucien shouted, trying to punch Martin.

"YOU'RE THAT IDIOT TEENAGER!" Martin was also trying to attack Lucien in a rare act of violence for the usually calm man. Kira, Rain and Vicente didn't know what to make of the situation. Finally one of Martin's arms broke away from Rain and he punched Lucien in the jaw. Vicente jerked away to avoid getting hit, giving a chance Lucien to punch back.

"No, ISAAC DON'T ATTACK THE EMPEROR." Kira shouted. She was laughing so hard it was difficult to stay standing. She tackled Lucien and pinned him to the ground while Rain and Vicente kept Martin away. After several moments of struggling both of the furious men were restrained and under control.

"….WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!!!" Rain shouted. Kira and Vicente were standing nearby, laughing like crazy. Martin and Lucien, who were bound by magic, glared hatefully at each other.

"He's the reason why I hate priests…" Lucien growled.

"He ruined a very important ceremony for me one day, many years ago…" Martin replied. Kira attempted to compose herself.

"That…is no reason…to attack each other in such a way…" She said, still laughing.

"You two should be ashamed…" Vicente added, chuckling. Rain shook her head before laughing herself. Kira looked at Lucien.

"He is the reason why you have a phobia of priests? Martin is the priest who chased you through Skingrad half naked with a black soul gem, a pitchfork, three imps and a wild boar while J'ghasta was standing on the rooftops laughing his ass off?" She asked. Rain and Vicente laughed harder.

"YES!" Lucien growled.

"Martin…you actually chased Isaac through Kvatch like that?" Rain asked. Martin nodded, still glaring hatefully at Lucien.

"I think we should probably separate them…plus I can't wait to tell a certain Khajiit about this…" Vicente said.

"No, don't you dare tell J'ghasta. Vicente I will skin you alive!" Lucien shouted.

"Uh-huh….all of your threats no longer work Isaac. You have just lost all respect…" Vicente said, picking up the paralyzed assassin. He hefted Lucien over his shoulders and approached the window.

"You three can deal with everything here. I'll meet you back home…" Vicente said before jumping out of the window. Rain and Kira, still laughing, released the spell on Martin. The emperor got up carefully and sighed.

"I can't believe you're married to him, Kira…" Martin said.

"We can't believe you'd chase him through the streets of Kvatch while half naked!" the girls said together.

"Well….I was much younger then…." Martin said rather pathetically. Kira and Rain laughed some more before catching up quickly with their cousin. A few hours later they said goodbye and left through the window. Martin shook his head and went to bed…

456

"There you two are…how did everything go with our wonderful emperor?" Vicente asked, leaning against a tree.

"Oh just wonderful…" Rain said. Kira was kneeling on the ground where Lucien was sitting. She was grinning at the furious Speaker.

"Say one word Silencer and you die." Lucien said. Kira just laughed and buried her face against his chest.

"This is definitely my favorite contract." Vicente grinned at Lucien.

"I'm going to murder all of you while you sleep…" Lucien growled.

"Oh be careful Lucien, we might just find a priest to send after you." Rain said, laughing. Lucien rolled his eyes and stood up, walking farther into the trees to where he left Shadowmere. The others followed a few feet behind. Suddenly they heard Lucien shout out in disgust and rushed forward.

"Ugh, Shadowmere, get away from that! No….no…NO. Do _not _eat that dead dog! What the bloody hell is wrong with you?! Ohhh…you ate the dead dog…" Lucien shook his head at his horse. Rain and Kira laughed with looks of disgust on their faces. Vicente just blinked a few times before walking away shaking his head and muttering something in a different language.

"Let's just go…" Lucien said, pulling Shadowmere away from what was left of the dead dog. Rain hopped up on her horse nearby. She found Vicente and soon they were all riding back to Cheydinhal.

456

_Three days later…_

"By Sithis, Lulu I can't believe you ran into that priest!" J'ghasta almost fell out of his chair laughing. Kira was sitting by Lucien, grinning. Lucien was contemplating ways to kill himself with a spoon.

"Yes, yes, I get it Jag; it's very exciting for you. You can go now; we have no other need to speak to you…" Lucien said.

"Oh, there's no way I'm letting this go for a _very long _time, Lulu." The Khajiit laughed even harder. Lucien groaned and banged his head against the table. They were in the main room of Fort Farragut. Lucien was grateful that at least none of the other members at the Sanctuary were here for this. He couldn't imagine dealing with J'ghasta, M'raaj-Dar and Jet all at the same time.

"You should've been there, J'ghasta. He and the emperor were about to kill each other!" Kira laughed. J'ghasta laughed harder and patted Lucien on the back.

"Oh look on the bright side, Little Brother…" J'ghasta said.

"What bright side?" Lucien growled.

"Think of what a great story this will be to tell the other Black Hand members at the next meeting!" J'ghasta said enthusiastically. Lucien glared at J'ghasta. Suddenly he punched the annoying Listener, knocking him to the ground.

"What the…!" J'ghasta shouted. Lucien stood up and continued to attack his old friend. Kira sat back and watched, laughing harder than ever. Unfortunately for Lucien, J'ghasta was a master in hand to hand combat. After recovering from the shock, J'ghasta easily beat Lucien down and had him pinned to the ground. The Khajiit grinned.

"You should know better than to attack me like that, Lulu." He said.

"I will kill you and use you as a rug, you bloody Khajiit!" Lucien shouted. J'ghasta stood up, pulling Lucien up with him, and laughed some more.

"Come on J'ghasta, even I think telling the rest of the Black Hand is cruel. Let's just let him suffer in the Sanctuary, Vicente's bound to have told everyone by now." Kira said. J'ghasta nodded.

"I suppose that is enough torture for poor Lulu. And I'm sure he'll deal with it all with _quiet dignity and grace._" J'ghasta said eloquently. Kira snorted and burst into laughter once again. Lucien was tempted to pull out a knife and stab the Khajiit right there.

"Well, as enjoyable as this is, I must go to Bravil now. It's time for me to speak to the Night Mother again. Goodbye." J'ghasta grinned at Lucien and Kira one final time before disappearing up the ladder. Lucien sighed and walked into the bedroom with a laughing Kira at his heels. He collapsed onto the bed.

"You're never going to let me live this down for all eternity, are you?" Lucien asked. Kira laid down next to him.

"Nope. I never will." Kira grinned at him.

"I hate you." Lucien groaned. Kira kissed him.

"You love me." She said.

"Not anymore. I will hate you for the rest of eternity." Lucien said, rolling away to show his point. Kira chuckled.

"I suppose there is a bit of a bright side for you…" Kira said.

"What's that?" Lucien asked skeptically.

"We'll be leaving in a few months anyway, won't we? You'll only have to deal with everyone from the Sanctuary for a little while." Kira grinned at Lucien.

"Yes, while I get to spend the rest of eternity with you, Vicente and Rain who will definitely never let this go." Lucien said darkly.

"Oh think of it as an adventure….a very painful adventure…but still…" Kira continued to grin.

"I will light you on fire." Lucien threatened.

"Whatever you say….Lulu." She said.

456

_Two days later, at night…_

Kira, Rain, Revan and Telaendril all sat at a table in the Living Quarters. Once a month the girls got together to drink wine and talk about anything and everything. Ocheeva had unfortunately been killed a few years ago. The men of the Sanctuary were also gathered in Vicente's room, just drinking.

"Kira, you've got to be joking!" Rain said in disbelief. Kira shook her head.

"Nope, Lucien goes _both _ways." She said.

"You really mean that he's attracted to both women _and _men?" Telaendril asked. Kira grinned and nodded. The girls all giggled and laughed, feeling like teenagers again.

"I have to say it; that is sexy." Revan said.

"I know right? He leans more towards woman but still…" Kira chuckled.

"Have you ever seen him kiss another guy?" Rain asked. Kira nodded.

"I think he did it just to freak me out but he did it, when we were on a contract in Anvil." Kira said. Lucien and Vicente walked in, apparently to grab more alcohol. The girls couldn't help but giggle at Lucien. Lucien looked at them strangely while grabbing a bottle of ale.

"Kira…what did you tell them?" he asked.

"About how you go both ways." Kira grinned at Lucien.

"What?" Vicente looked at a now grinning Lucien.

"Oh that's right….I never did tell you about that did I?" Lucien glanced at Vicente, who shook his head.

"Hey Lucien, I have to ask; would you sleep with Vicente?" Revan asked.

"What the hell?!" Vicente shouted. Lucien laughed and smirked suggestively at the other vampire, looking him up and down.

"Probably, after a few drinks…." Lucien said, putting one arm around Vicente's shoulders. The girls almost fell out of their chairs laughing.

"No." Vicente said, trying to move away from Lucien.

"Oh come on," Lucien laughed.

"No, that's all you've ever wanted from me. You never respect me as a person." Vicente said. The girls only laughed harder at this. Lucien smirked at Vicente, laughing too. Vicente rolled his eyes and walked out of the room.

"You're all a bunch of sick freaks!" He shouted while walking away. Lucien winked at the girls before following Vicente out of the room to continue drinking with the other guys.

"I don't know what we'll do without all of you after you leave," Telaendril said.

"Explain to me again why you're leaving?" Revan asked.

"We've been here our whole lives. Lucien has been Speaker for decades now. There has to be a change in power at some point, you know the whole flow of life and whatnot." Kira began.

"And Vicente has been looking over this Sanctuary for _centuries_. He's nomadic by nature and is getting desperately bored with Cyrodiil in general." Rain said.

"So we're all leaving. Lucien and I will continue to check in on the Dark Brotherhood every couple of years. But we all need a change of scenery…" Kira shrugged.

"Plus, still as new vampires, our instincts are screaming at us to wander for a while. _Screaming!_" Rain said for emphasis.

"I can understand that I suppose…" Revan said slowly.

"We'll miss you all of you though…" Telaendril added.

"Well….think of it this way; now there'll be an opening for the higher positions in the Brotherhood. Some of you might advance. Plus, you'll still have Erik and the girls." Kira said.

"It'll be like we never left." Rain grinned.

"I suppose you're both right. Kira, didn't you say there would be some new family members soon anyway?" Revan asked. Kira nodded.

"Lucien has been kept busy by a few new recruits joining, and a few are being transferred from other Sanctuaries to fill our spaces," she said.

"I just hope for your sake, Telaendril, that none of them are as weird and creepy as the last new recruit…" Rain not so subtly pointed at Revan.

"Hey!" Revan said while the others laughed.

456

"I just don't understand why you never told me…" Vicente said to Lucien as they walked into Vicente's room.

"It never really came up…" Lucien shrugged.

"What never came up?" Jet asked.

"That I go both ways." Lucien said as he sat down. The other guys chuckled.

"You didn't know that, Vicente?" M'raaj-Dar asked.

"You even told _them?"_ Vicente looked at Lucien.

"I gotta side with Vicente on this one, Lucien. He's practically you're father, and you never even attempted to hint at this for him?" Jet raised one eyebrow.

"Hey…I don't do so well with the father/son communication. I don't understand why you're all so upset about this…" Lucien shrugged.

"I just thought that we had a special bond of trust. I can see now that it never really mattered to you…" Vicente wiped away a fake tear. The others laughed while Lucien rolled his eyes.

"Nope, it never really mattered _that _much." Lucien laughed. Suddenly Vicente turned to Lucien with a twisted smirk on his face. Next thing Lucien knew, ale was being poured onto his head. Lucien shouted out in shock and quickly moved away from a laughing Vicente.

"Ugh, I can't believe you just did that! I hate you!" Lucien shouted in disgust as he tried to wipe away as much of the ale as possible.

"Oh you've been saying that you hate me since you were 11 years old. Do you really think I care?" Vicente asked in a mockingly sympathetic voice. Lucien growled at him.

"Between the incident with the priest, J'ghasta and Vicente; you just can't win this week, can you, Little Brother?" Teinaava asked, laughing. Lucien sighed and almost banged his head against the table. The other guys laughed and soon all of them were pouring ale on Lucien's head.

"I hate being the youngest…" He mumbled.

456

"Those jerks, I can't believe they won't let us drink with them…" Erik mumbled. Moralis rolled her eyes at her brother.

"I doubt we'd really want to drink with all of them. Imagine all of the weird things Mom and Rain could be saying about Dad and Vicente and vice versa. Do you really want to have to sit through all that?" she asked. Erik considered what she meant and nodded.

"I guess you're right…"he said.

"What do you guys think it'll be like without our parents here?" Cecilia asked.

"I think it'll be strange…obviously they've _always _been there." Crystal said.

"I think it'll be great. Have you two ever tried spending time stuck with our father?" Erik asked his cousins.

"We tend to avoid Uncle Lucien…" Cecilia said.

"You're lucky. Vicente's not the kinda dad to try and embarrass you _every _chance he gets. He only does it sometimes. Our dad gets some kind of sick pleasure out of embarrassing us." Moralis said.

"Yeah, I guess it is horrible to be you two…" Crystal grinned.

"Hey!" shouted Erik and Moralis. They all continued to relax there in Erik's room, drinking a bit and talking about nothing in particular. Erik downed what was probably his tenth ale.

"Don't drink so fast, Erik. You're no fun when you're drunk," Moralis said. Erik grinned at his sister.

"I can hold my alcohol just fine. I've been sneaking it from Mom and Dad since I was 11." He said.

"Oh really?" The room fell silent as they finally noticed Lucien standing in the doorway. Kira walked up behind him.

"What are you doing now?" she asked.

"Erik, being the idiot that he is, just admitted to stealing our ale when he was 11. I told you I wasn't drinking all of it," Lucien looked at his wife. Kira shook her head.

"Erik Lachance….you know what? I'm not even gonna bother. You're father can deal with it this time…" Kira shook her head again before walking off. Lucien gave Erik a twisted grin.

"What? MOM! …Hey, I'm 24 years old. I'll do what I want!" Erik crossed his arms. The girls just laughed at him and stood up.

"Dad is going to destroy you with this…" Moralis said.

"Have fun." Crystal grinned.

"You're gonna die." Cecilia said.

"Yes, thank you. You're all extremely supportive," Erik rolled his eyes. The girls left the room. Lucien leaned against the doorframe, still grinning at his son.

"You know what? I will get you for this. Maybe not tonight…maybe not tomorrow…maybe not even in the next year….but I will get you for this. Until then I'm just going to let you worry about it. Good night," Lucien said pleasantly before walking off. Erik sat there for a moment. He didn't know what to do. What could he do?

456

_A few months later…_

"M'raaj-Dar, keep an eye on Erik for the first few months…at least until he finds himself a decent Silencer…." Lucien said. M'raaj-Dar nodded.

"Of course brother," the Khajiit said.

"What? I don't need a baby sitter! I can take care of myself!" Erik shouted, sounding insulted.

"Trust me; you need a baby sitter," Lucien turned to his son.

"You became a Speaker when you were younger than me and you were fine!" Erik said angrily. Kira snorted.

"Lucien? Doing a good job as a Speaker without some kind of baby sitter? I'm sure he messed up more times in that first year than any other time," she laughed.

"Yes, thank you Kira, we do not need your input," Lucien said.

"You did mess up quite a few times, Lulu…" J'ghasta added unhelpfully.

"I will stab you!" Lucien yelled. J'ghasta and Kira both laughed at Lucien.

"Cecilia, Crystal, make sure you keep an eye out for all of these crazy freaks here. I'm not so sure you can trust your cousins anymore…" Rain said slowly.

"We'll be careful Mom," Cecilia said, rolling her eyes and laughing a bit.

"What about Shadowmere, Dad? Do I get a horse like her? She's bound to die sometime soon…" Erik asked. Lucien chuckled.

"Vicente, I'm sure you'd like to explain this one…" he said. Vicente nodded and looked at Erik.

"Erik…the Speaker who recruited _me _had Shadowmere. That horse _does not die._ Trust me, I've even tried to see how many times you can stab her without her even bleeding," Vicente said.

"What? How the hell does that work?" Moralis asked. Lucien and Vicente shrugged.

"The Listener is in charge of getting animals that are immortal like that. The Speaker in charge of the Cheydinhal Sanctuary has always had the duty of finding new recruits. They need a fast horse," J'ghasta said.

"So then where would you get a horse like Shadowmere, J'ghasta?" Kira asked.

"I would tell you but then I'd have to kill all of you." J'ghasta gave them all a pleasant smirk.

"You're wolfhounds are like Shadowmere too. They're extremely hard to kill and will live for a _very _long time." Lucien said. His children nodded. Kira and Rain continued to say goodbye to everyone while Lucien and Vicente waited. Neither of them cared that much about saying goodbye to everyone. Soon they were outside at the stables.

"I'm going to miss her so much…" Lucien said.

"Who? Moralis?" Rain asked.

"Hell no. She'll be fine. I mean Shadowmere!" Lucien said. Kira shook her head.

"Lucien loves that horse more than anyone or anything. It's just a fact of life," she shrugged. Rain shook her head. Lucien was patting Shadowmere.

"Well, Vicente where do you want to head first?" Kira asked. Vicente thought for a moment.

"Morrowind. I want to go back home for a little while…" he said finally. The others nodded and they started off towards Morrowind…

456

_A few centuries later…_

Lucien sat back and slowly took aim. He saw his target walking about the town from his spot on the rooftop. Lucien grinned. He slowly pulled the trigger.

BANG! His pistol went off and panic erupted among the crowd as his target collapsed. Lucien chuckled. He had been somewhat bored recently. They had been staying in this area for a while now. So he had decided to find someone to follow for a while and kill them.

He jumped down from the rooftop and quickly left the town. Soon he was back at the old destroyed fort that they were currently living in. He walked down to the main room and sat across from Vicente, polishing his pistol. Vicente shook his head a bit at Lucien. He was never separated from that pistol these days.

Suddenly there was a loud crash as they ran down the hall, knocking over a table. They ran into the main room of the broken down fort where Vicente and Lucien were sitting.

"I WILL LIGHT YOU ON FIRE!" Kira shouted.

"WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?!" Rain screamed, trying to get away from her sister. Vicente sighed and looked up from the book he was trying to read.

"Lucien, stop Kira from killing Rain…" he said.

"You do it. I'm busy." Lucien said, leaning back in his chair, still polishing his pistol.

"No you're not! Isaac Lucien Lachance, do it!" Vicente ordered. Lucien sighed, got up and grabbed Kira. He sat back down with her in his lap, keeping her away from Rain. Rain hid behind Vicente fearfully. Vicente sighed. Some things never changed…

456

THE END.

Yes, that's it.

It's over.

Really.

We're not kidding.

You can move on with your life now.

We'll be back…probably next week?


	27. Bonus Chapter: New Family

Raised in the Shadows

A/N: We know you may be confused why we're updating. The story really IS over. We're just gonna continue to add random oneshots to it. From here on anything goes. If you want to see Lucien with moose antlers than leave a review and we'll put it! Or if you wanted to see a random scene that we may have skipped or that just never happened, you can ask! Anything you wanted to happen can now happen. And yes, we are bored and that's why we do this.

Disclaimer: Even 3 months later we still don't own it. D:

456

_When Kira and Rain met Lucien…_

The two small girls were finally awake after the long trip from Bruma. They followed carefully behind Vicente. Ocheeva was a few feet ahead of the vampire, leading through the abandoned house. Kira looked around carefully while Rain would occasionally stop to look through the boxes curiously.

"Come on you two." Vicente said, starting to get a little impatient. The Door was just around the corner. Kira and Rain picked up pace and caught up with Vicente. Finally they reached the Door of the Dark Brotherhood.

"What is the color….of night?" The Door whispered darkly. Kira and Rain quickly hid behind Vicente, shaking in fear.

"Sanguine, my brother." Vicente answered. The Door swung open with a whispered "Welcome home…" and allowed the four to enter.

"I'll go and speak with Christine about our mission. I think, before you do anything else Brother, you should introduce our newest children to Lucien." Ocheeva said. Vicente inwardly swore. He wasn't sure how Lucien would react to this. He wasn't the most stable 12 year old.

"Yes…I'll deal with Lucien. Tell Christine I shall speak with her later…" Vicente said. He turned around to face Kira and Rain.

"Kia, look in tah box!" Rain said excitedly. She had her face buried in a box on the floor.

"Rain, noooo," Kira said. Rain was a bit more adventurous than Kira at the moment. Kira was used to getting in trouble for looking in random boxes. Vicente smiled and knelt down next to the girls.

"Come on you two. You need to come and meet your…new big brother." Vicente said carefully.

"Br-uu-t-er?" the two girls asked carefully.

"….Yes. His name is Lucien. Come on…" Vicente picked them up and led carried them into the living quarters. Lucien was usually still asleep at 11 AM. His room was at the end of the hall, away from everyone else's. Vicente knocked by kicking the door.

"Mmmghgr….What?" said a muffled, angry voice on the other side.

"Lucien, you need to meet someone. May I come in?" Vicente asked. The vampire was tired and wasn't in the mood for dealing with Lucien's attitude.

"Come back later." Lucien said. Vicente shrugged, set Kira and Rain on the ground and barged right in. Lucien sat up quickly in bed and glared at Vicente. Kira and Rain peeked around the door frame.

Lucien was a skinny and tired looking child. His dark hair was shaggy and got in his eyes. He had a few scars on his chest and arms; some looked like cuts, others looked like burns. His room was simple. There was a dagger on his bedside table and a few shirts and pants littered the floor.

"This is Kira and Rain. They will be staying here at the Sanctuary, just like you. Please try not to do something to scare them to death." Vicente said. Kira and Rain walked carefully into Lucien's room. The boy glared down at them.

"Kira, Rain, this is Lucien." Vicente said, looking back at the girls.

"Lu-lu…Luzian?" Kira tried. She'd never heard this name before. Lucien's expression got even darker. Vicente's lip twitched as he held back a smirk.

"L-lou…louie?" Rain frowned at the effort.

"How about just Luke?" Vicente asked.

"Luke." The girls repeated.

"I don't want them here." Lucien said, looking pleadingly at Vicente.

"They're staying here and that's final, Lucien. Just give it time to adjust." The vampire replied. Lucien sighed and looked at his two new "sisters."

"Fine…I don't want them bothering me though." The teen said, crossing his arms.

"I'm sure they won't be too much of a bother. But try and keep an eye on them for at least a few hours, okay? I need to sleep and everyone else should be busy today." Vicente said before turning around quickly and leaving the room.

"But…I'm not even up yet!" Lucien yelled, almost whining. Kira, with a sudden burst of courage and curiosity, jumped up onto Lucien's bed and got closer to him. Rain followed after her sister.

"Hi, L-luke." Kira said. Lucien glared at the girl and bit his tongue to keep from insulting her. He wasn't used to being around kids. He had been with the Dark Brotherhood for six years now. He rarely left the Sanctuary unless it was to steal something or run around in the forest occasionally.

"Louie!" Rain said excitedly. Lucien groaned. He wasn't so sure he would like these two. He sighed and got out of bed, wearing an old shirt and black pants.

"Listen to me, you little twerps. I don't want you to bother me. Just because Vicente said I had to watch you don't mean I have to like either of you." He said angrily. The girls both looked on the verge of tears and nodded carefully.

"Good, now come on. I'm hungry…" Lucien began walking out of his room, not even bothering to look back over his shoulder. Kira and Rain ran swiftly after Lucien. They were afraid of making him angry. They made their way through the hallway and into the main room of the Living Quarters. M'raaj-Dar and Teinaava were sitting at the table, eating quietly. Rain gasped. She had an odd fascination with Khajiits.

"KITTY MAN!" She shouted before she could stop herself. M'raaj-Dar stopped eating abruptly and turned to look at Lucien and the two girls. Lucien bit his tongue again, this time holding back a laugh. Kira looked at Rain and took a few steps away from her. Teinaava was actually laughing.

"Well, it looks like we have two new members! Come here young ones, let me look at you," the Argonian said. Kira and Rain walked over to Teinaava.

"Vicente just dumped them with me. Their names are Kira and Rain I think…" Lucien said, looking bored.

"I'm Kira…" Kira said slowly. Rain was staring at M'raaj-Dar.

"I'm Teinaava. Can you say that?" Teinaava asked, tilting his head to the side.

"Ty-ty-teeva?" Rain tried, looking away from M'raaj-Dar finally. This time the Khajiit was laughing. Teinaava's face fell for a moment before laughing as well.

"I suppose that's close enough…" He said.

"Kitty man," said Rain, pointing at M'raaj-Dar.

"Yes, this is M'raaj-Dar…" Teinaava said.

"Kitty man!" Both girls said.

"I'm leaving…" M'raaj-Dar said, getting up. He left the room quickly. Teinaava shook his head at the humorless Khajiit and put both girls on his lap.

"Where did Vicente find these two?" Teinaava asked. Lucien shrugged.

"He didn't tell me much. Can you watch them? I don't like them," Lucien pleaded.

"No, if Vicente said you should watch them…I don't want to get on his bad side. Plus, they seem like fun. They can't be that bad, Lucien," the Argonian said. Lucien groaned and kicked a nearby chair lightly.

"Oh now don't pout. You should be glad. You're no longer the youngest in the Sanctuary. Maybe one day they'll look up to you," Teinaava grinned at the Imperial. Lucien rolled his eyes and mumbled something under his breath. Teinaava set the girls back on the ground and stood up. He ruffled Lucien's hair quickly before the boy could get away.

"I have a contract to begin. I'll be back in a few days. Stay out of trouble," he said. Teinaava grinned at the girls a final time before walking off. Lucien groaned and sat down.

"Cotrat?" Kira asked.

"What?" Lucien looked at her strangely.

"Co-nn-trat?" She asked again.

"Oh…contract. It's an…uhh…job that he has to do…." Lucien said slowly. He guessed the girls wouldn't understand what it meant to assassinate someone.

"Food?" Rain asked, rubbing her stomach. Kira nodded and rubbed her stomach too. Lucien sighed and helped the girls onto a chair. He didn't like them but he knew better than to risk the Wrath of Vicente if he didn't attempt to care for them. The girls eagerly began eating whatever they could get their hands on from the table.

Lucien watched the girls eat for a while. He was munching on an apple with a vacant expression on his face. After a few moments he heard the door open and turned to see Ocheeva and Christine walk in.

"So here are our two new members!" Christine said, smiling warmly. Lucien went back to eating.

"Yes, the Imperial girl is Kira and the Wood Elf is Rain," Ocheeva explained. The two women approached the table.

"Hello, young ones, I'm Christine." The Redguard said. Kira and Rain looked at her and waved but continued eating.

"Are you taking care of them Lucien?" Christine asked, whacking the boy on the shoulder lightly.

"Yes, I'm taking care of them. But I'd clean all of the swords in the sanctuary for a month if you'd take them…" Lucien looked at Christine.

"No…I think this is a good experience for you. Who knows, one day the three of you could all be best friends!" Christine grinned happily. Lucien groaned.

"Everyone else is busy today, brother. Learning patience will be good for you," Ocheeva added. Lucien just groaned again.

"Where did you and Vicente find them anyway, Ocheeva?" he asked.

"In Bruma. They are the children of the weapons master Alexial Azrael and his wife," Ocheeva said.

"What? Azrael and his wife were both Imperials…how did they have a Wood Elf?" Lucien stared at Rain oddly.

"She's adopted," Ocheeva said.

"Well have fun watching them. And Lucien, please try and stay out of trouble for at least a few hours. Vicente will be awake around sunset…" Christine said as she started to walk away.

"Don't leave me!" Lucien whined. But Christine and Ocheeva were already gone. Lucien sighed and looked back at the girls.

"….Louie?" They both said. Lucien groaned and hit his head against the table.

456

_Hours later…_

Lucien was getting tired of having Kira and Rain follow him everywhere. Rain was constantly looking into random boxes, crates and sacks. Kira would suddenly run off into the next room as if she was looking for something. He didn't like them. He doubted he would ever like them. Everyone in the sanctuary insisted they would grow on him. He didn't see how that could ever happen…_ever._

Now Lucien and the girls were out of the Sanctuary and walking around Cheydinhal. Lucien looked up at the sky.

"Oh good, it's sunset. I won't have to walk around with you two brats any more…Vicente will be up. Come on," Lucien turned around and started walking towards the old abandoned house that was the Sanctuary. Lucien turned around to see if the girls were following him. They weren't there.

"What the…? Kira, Rain, where'd you two go?" he asked. Lucien started looking around, starting to get worried. _Vicente's gonna kill me…_he thought darkly. He looked over towards the bridge that separated Cheydinhal into two parts.

"Kia, look. It pweety!" Rain was shouting, looking at a flower by the river. Lucien sighed and ran over to them.

"Don't run off like that!" Lucien shouted. The girls both stopped and looked up at him.

"Flower pweeety!" Rain said, showing Lucien the flower. Lucien rolled his eyes.

"Come on, let's go!" Lucien said, reaching down for Rain.

"No!" Rain said defiantly. She quickly ran from Lucien's grip and hid behind Kira. Lucien turned sharply to grab her…and slipped. He landed in the water with a loud splash. The girls both giggled lightly as Lucien bobbed above the surface.

"Great…" Lucien said. He slowly got out of the water and glared at Kira and Rain. They quickly stopped giggling. Lucien was soaking wet from head to toe. The river was deeper than he thought. He took a deep breath, swallowing back his violent thoughts and started for the abandoned house. Kira and Rain had to run to keep up with him.

456

"Oh, hello Luci-….What in the name of Sithis did you do now?" Vicente asked, taking in the view of the teen soaking wet and looking as mad as hell.

"I hate these two. I don't like them," Lucien growled. Vicente slowly raised a hand up to cover his smirk. Kira and Rain walked carefully into the vampire's room and hid behind his chair.

"It seems to me that you should be having fun with Kira and Rain. Just think of how long it has been since you last went swimming!" Vicente said, letting out a chuckle. Lucien's expression only grew darker.

"I hate you and I hate having them around," Lucien crossed his arms.

"_Vissy!_ He scary." The girls said together. Vicente's face fell as he heard them attempt his name. Lucien snorted lightly before laughing out loud.

"Well…maybe having them around won't be too bad after all…Vissy." Lucien laughed as he walked out of the room.

"Vi-cen-tay. Can you two say that?" Vicente asked slowly.

"Vissy!" The girls shouted happily. Vicente almost banged his head against the table. Maybe this wasn't the best idea.

456

There. The first bonus chapter.

Anything you want to see, just review and ask.

Really, anything at all!

I'm currently on crutches and Lost_Inside_1995 is in Texas.

I'm dying of boredom!


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